


Who wrote these orders?

by TiffanyF



Series: CSI: SHIELD [2]
Category: CSI: Miami, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: M/M, Non-Consensual Drug Use, medical talk, ooc, serious character injury - non graphic description
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-12
Updated: 2013-10-16
Packaged: 2017-12-23 07:25:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 50
Words: 40,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/923557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TiffanyF/pseuds/TiffanyF
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When I get depressed, I write sad fic. I had my birthday forgotten by two very close friends and started writing this yesterday. I don't know where I'm going with it, but here it is so far. Barton is being deployed on some very unusual missions with Coulson. When he's injured on six of the last ten, the latest one so severely that he's in a coma, Fury gets curious about exactly where the missions are coming from. Coulson maintains they're coming from Fury's office. With Barton injured as badly as he is, Fury calls the man who is the closest thing to a father Barton has; Horatio Caine. Horatio is going to find out who dared hurt his son so badly. Don't own anyone in here, don't claim and certainly don't make money from them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Sort of a sequel to my piece "Arrow" but you don't necessarily need to have read it for this to make sense.

Barton looked around again and tried not to sigh. He didn't like the perch he'd been forced to take to cover the meeting Coulson was holding down in the square. There was only one building high enough for him to be on with a clear line of sight to the man talking with Coulson. Barton looked at his watch again with a frown. The meeting was supposed to have started five minutes ago, but there was no one in the square. The lack of life worried and puzzled him. He could just make out his handler in the far alley where he was waiting for the contact to show before he stepped out, but there was no one else around.

He wasn't even sure what he was doing there in the first place. His assignments for the past five missions, six counting the current one, made no sense and he'd ended up in medical every single time. Barton wasn't stupid, he knew there was a pattern involved, he just couldn't place it. Biting back another sigh, he activated his comm. "Sir, do you see your contact?" he asked.

Silence from the other end made his frown deepen and he checked Coulson's position through his scope. The man was gone. "Sir?" he asked again. "Coulson, where are you?"

Several explosions and a rumble were his only answer and the building started to collapse before he could push up. Barton swore, abandoned his rifle and shifted quickly. His only choice was to ride the rubble and hope that he didn't get hurt too badly when he landed. Barton didn't think there was anyone around who would be able to dig him out again.


	2. Chapter 2

Horatio was at a crime scene working with Eric when his cell phone rang. "Excuse me a minute, Eric," he said, pulling out his phone. "This is Horatio."

"Horatio, it's Nick Fury."

"Hello, Nick, it's been a while," Horatio said. "What's happened to Clint?"

Eric looked up at the mention of the name and frowned. He still didn't know who the mysterious archer/expert that Horatio called in to help on a case was, but he didn't like the other man. Eric really didn't like the easy banter that Clint had with Horatio. He kept working, but focused on the phone conversation, or at least what he could hear of it.

"It's bad, Horatio. I'm still working to figure out what the hell happened, but the Hawk's in medical and they don't think he's going to wake up," Fury said. "You're the closest thing to a father he has, I know he'd want you to be here."

"There's nowhere else I want to be," Horatio said. "Which facility is he in?"

"The Helicarrier. There's a jet waiting for you at the airport," Fury said. "I'll meet you on deck and take you to him."

Horatio's eyes hardened. "I want answers, Nick," he said. "Hold on one minute. Eric, I've got to go. Finish up here and talk with Alexx. I'll call when I know when I'm going to be back. Thank you. Nick, what do you know?"

Eric watched Horatio leave the crime scene and sighed. It didn't look like he was going to be getting answers any time soon.  
****

The pilot checked Horatio's ID and took off without talking. That wasn't too uncommon for the SHIELD pilots and Horatio sat in the back and tried not to give into the urge to pace. When he'd taken in the abused and broken young man he'd promised two things; to always be there, and to provide a safe place for Clint to run to any time he needed an escape. Horatio didn't always get along with Nick Fury, but that was because they were far too much alike to be good friends. They did respect each other and the work the other did to help people.

"Mind your step, Sir," the pilot said when they landed. "The Director is waiting just off to your left as you exit the jet."

"Thank you," Horatio said. He waited until the ramp was done moving and started down it. As always, the Helicarrier was a bustle of movement and noise, yet no one seemed to want to get close to their director. "Nick."

"Welcome on board, Horatio," Fury said. "This way. I've had some files routed to a tablet that you can look at. I don't have CSIs here, my smartest people are also some of my blindest and I think this is something that needs a criminal investigator on it. I have questions and I'm not finding answers."

"What can I do?" Horatio asked.

"Missions are assigned by my office, usually by me for the higher level and top secret issues," Fury said. He unlocked the door and gestured for Horatio to go in first. "I have a select group under my direct command and that's not counting the Avengers. The mission folders go from me to the handler in charge of whichever asset I choose for the mission and they both meet with me for a pre and post mission briefing. The asset also has to go through a debrief with their handler after meeting with me and the final reports end up on my desk. For six of his last ten assignments, Clint Barton's missions have not come from my office."

Horatio glanced over. "Is that unusual, Nick?" he asked.

"Very. If a handler of one of the highest ranking assets has a mission they want to use that person on, they have to come to me for approval," Fury replied. "No one should be in the field without my office knowing about it, and yet Barton was. Not just one time, but six. For every single one of those assignments, he's come home to medical."

"It sounds to me like someone is trying to get my boy hurt or killed," Horatio said. He looked over at the other man. "That is not acceptable, Nick."

"Not it's not, and that's also where I'm having problems," Fury sighed. "Stop here a minute. Barton has one handler, Horatio. I don't trust him out in the field with anyone else. Barton is very stubborn and most of my people think that translates over into insubordination."

"Phil Coulson," Horatio said. "I've met him and know about his personal relationship with Clint. What's going on there?"

Fury sighed and leaned against the wall. "I wish I knew," he said. "I've talked with Coulson, but the answers I'm getting aren't answers. Horatio, I think you're right that someone is out to hurt Barton. I just don't know who it could be, or why they're doing it."

"Let me see Clint and look through the files," Horatio said. "I might need to go look at the places he was on these missions, Nick."

"It's too dangerous, they're all in the middle of war zones or some sort of uprising," Fury said. "I can get you video, but I can't let you go in there. I know the scene can tell you a lot, Horatio, but you'd be dead before you got there and I'm not letting anyone in there right now."

"All right, video would be good," Horatio said. "Is his team in there?"

"They've been hoping for news," Fury said. "You know Natasha, right?"

Horatio nodded. "I do. I'll have her introduce me to everyone else," he replied. "Nick, I might not be able to find answers for you, but I think I'll be taking Clint to recover when he wakes up."

"Horatio, the doctors say he probably won't. He had a building come down on top of him."

"He'll wake up, Nick. He has to."


	3. Chapter 3

Everyone looked up when the door opened and a strange red-haired man they'd never seen before walked in. The rest of the Avengers were even more surprised when Natasha got up, walked over to the man and hugged him.

"Hey Natasha," Horatio said softly, holding her tightly, "you know he'll be okay. Clint's strong and he won't let something like this keep him down."

"You didn't see him, Horatio," she whispered in reply. "These wounds, they're the worst he's suffered and the doctors don't have any hope for him. I don't know what happened. Clint shouldn't have been there."

"Nick told me," Horatio said. "You want to introduce me to your team? They're staring at us."

Natasha pulled back and nodded. "Horatio Caine, this is Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, and Steve Rogers," she said. "The Avengers. Guys, this is Clint's father."

"Wait a minute, I thought Hawkeye was an orphan," Tony said.

"He has no blood family left," Horatio said softly, "but I took him in when he needed help the most. I consider him my own, Mr. Stark. Just because I'm not in a file here at SHIELD, that doesn't mean Clint's not mine."

"Okay, just saying," Tony said.

"Where's Coulson, Natasha?" Horatio asked.

"With the Director trying to figure out what happened," Natasha replied. "Come on, Clint's through here. I'll find the doctor to come and talk with you about what the injuries are."

Horatio nodded. "Thank you," he said. "It's nice to meet you, gentlemen."

Tony waited until the door was shut behind the two red heads and then looked at his friends. "Any idea who that is?" he asked. "I don't know the name, so he's not with SHIELD."

"He had a badge and gun under his jacket," Bruce said. "I think he's a policeman."

"A policeman getting access to SHIELD," Tony said. "Well, I guess stranger things have happened. Bruce, you ready to head down to the lab to get to work?"

Steve looked over. "What work?" he asked.

"Come on, Cap, Barton was where he shouldn't have been," Tony replied. "That means that he's either going out on his own or someone sent him out to die. Bruce and I are going to try and work out which one it is and find out who did it."

"Mr. Stark, could I talk with you for a moment, please?" Horatio asked from the doorway.

"Okay, you move silently," Tony said. "I thought I was used to the assassin glide, but you have them beat." He stood up and went to join Horatio in Barton's room. "What do I call you?"

"Horatio is fine. What do you know about Clint's latest assignments?" Horatio asked.

"Not a lot, but I've got a tracker in SHIELDS computers and I was going to go dig through and see what I could find," Tony said. "Fury's livid which means someone somewhere is screwing up badly and if it hurts my team, hurts my friends, then I want it stopped. No one hurts my friends and gets away with it."

Horatio studied him for a long moment. "I think we have a common goal in mind, Mr. Stark," he finally said. "I'm not going to be leaving Clint's side until he wakes up, but Nick did give me access to some files. I work as a criminal investigator, a CSI, and I'm very good at finding patterns where things shouldn't be. Will you let me know what you find?"

"Let me have the file numbers you already have so I don't get duplicates," Tony said. "I'll route you anything I find in the system. I've tried to get Fury to let me in, but he says he wants to take care of it. He should know by now that I do better when I'm working on something. Especially when my friends are in trouble or hurt. Me sitting still isn't a good thing."

"Do you really think you can find answers to what's going on?"

"Yes."

"I'll see about getting you into the system," Horatio said. "Nick owes me a few favors and help on the case would be nice."

The pair looked over when the doctor came into the room. Tony nodded. "I'll wait outside until you know exactly what's going on," he said. "Doctor, you need to quit with the messages of doom. I don't care how hurt he is, Hawkeye is going to wake up."

"Mr. Stark, please just leave," the doctor sighed.

"Fine, I'm going. I'll just be outside."

"Doctor, I'm Lieutenant Caine. What is Clint's exact status?" Horatio asked softly.

"Agent Barton had a building come down on him," the doctor replied. "We don't know what his exactly location was prior to the bombs exploding, but given his skill-set, we figure he was either on the top floor or the roof. He was extracted from under several hundred feet of concrete debris with rebar and other construction rubble surrounding him. As it stands right now, we had to operate to install a metal plate in his skull and drain some fluid out to reduce pressure on the brain. He has multiple broken bones, bone fractures, and splinters. One of the broken ribs punctured a lung and we had to repair that surgically as well. His pelvis is fractured in three places, and we haven't even been able to count the soft muscle and tendon damage. He's in a coma and I don't expect he'll ever wake up again."

Horatio moved over and sat down next to the bed. "He's a very strong young man, doctor," he said softly. "Say he does wake up, what are the chances of him going back into the field again?"

"We're looking at at least a year of physical therapy and surgeries, Lieutenant," the doctor said. "Somehow, and I don't know how, his spine is fine. There's no risk of paralization, but with his head injuries, there are still going to be multiple problems."

"Thank you," Horatio said. "I'm going to stay with him."

The doctor nodded. "The director told me, you're cleared to stay as long as you want," he said. "We've brought in an extra bed for Agent Romanov, you're welcome to use it as well. The director also said you were conducting an investigation for him?"

"I am, so I'm going to need all of Clint's medical records," Horatio said. "Everything, no matter how small. Nick gave me a tablet to work on, is it possible to have the records sent to it?"

"Let me have the IP address and I'll route them to you." The doctor took the tablet and made a note on the notepad he was carrying with him. "You'll have them in an hour or so. Push the call button if you need anything else."

"I will, thank you, doctor," Horatio said.

"What do you think?" a voice asked from behind him.

Horatio sighed. "If this was an accident, Nick, then I want to know how it happened," he said. "Tony Stark seems to think he might be able to help me out. Would it be possible to let him into the files as well?"

Fury snorted. "He'd be in them even if I didn't let him in," he said. "Yeah, keeping Stark busy is always a good thing. Phil's outside. Do you want to talk with him?"

"I do. I also wanted to ask if there's any recordings from Clint's radio system on these mysterious missions."

"It's garbled and so far our people haven't been able to do anything with it," Fury admitted.

"Do you mind if I send it to my lab?" Horatio asked. "My sound people are good and they don't talk."

"These are unsanctioned missions into war zones, Horatio. I trust you, but I can't risk this audio getting out, no matter how much you trust your people," Fury said.

"Then is there a lab where I can work?" Horatio asked.

"Yeah, talk with Phil and I'll have him take you down," Fury replied. "There's a camera set up in here to monitor Barton. I'll have you linked in."

"Thank you."


	4. Chapter 4

Horatio wasn't surprised to find the rest of the team missing when he followed Fury out into the waiting area. "Phil."

"Lieutenant Caine," Coulson said with a nod. "It's good to see you again. I just wish it was under better circumstances."

"So do I," Horatio said. "Phil, you're the only one who handles Clint. What's been going on?"

Coulson sighed. "The missions have just been going wrong lately," he said. "It's almost like someone knows we're there before we can do anything."

"Phil, these missions you've been going on, where have the orders been coming from?" Horatio asked softly.

"I thought they were coming from Director Fury, the folders have been coming to my office through the usual channels and nothing about them was raising any red flags with me," Coulson replied. "It wasn't until after this last mission that I found out the director has no idea about the missions and there's a problem. Someone, somewhere, wants Clint hurt, Horatio, and I have no idea who it is."

"It seems to me that the problem should have come to light much sooner, Phil, especially as Director Fury told me that it is standard procedure to meet with him both before and after the mission regardless of assignment," Horatio said. "So how were you getting Clint out on these missions without that standard meeting?"

"That's my fault. Clint doesn't do well at meetings, so it's not uncommon for me to attend for both of us and handle his debrief when we're in transit," Coulson said. "He wouldn't have known anything was different."

Horatio looked down with a sigh. "Phil, you still would have been in those meetings and Director Fury would have asked where they were coming from," he said, blue eyes slanting up to look at the other man. "So that tells me that you weren't going to these meetings before the missions and you were lying to Clint about them."

"I did go to the meetings and Director Fury never had any problems with the missions," Coulson said.

"Phil, we never had meetings for these missions," Fury said from where he was looming in the background. He didn't lurk well. "I don't know what the hell you're remembering, but I was never in meetings for any of these assignments. SHIELD had no business in any of these six areas, and I sure as hell wouldn't have sent Barton into them."

"But Sir, we did meet for these assignment," Coulson said.

"Nick, it sounds to me like there's more than one issue here," Horatio said. "I want to get that audio feed cleared up and then I'll review the folders. Would it be possible to be sure there's a guard on Clint at all times? Someone wants him dead and they very nearly succeeded today. Until I can be back with him, I want him under guard."

"I'll have the Black Widow stay with him," Fury said. "Come on, I'll show you to the lab you can use. Coulson, you go to my office and wait for me. We're going to have a long talk about this."  
****

Horatio had just pulled up the first audio track, the last one from the latest mission, when the door to the lab opened and Tony walked in. "Hey, Horatio, so I've been digging through everything and it turns out that Barton's been getting hate mail and death threats from someone inside of SHIELD. He just filed them away, I don't know if he told anyone about them, but some of these are pretty bad."

"Bad enough to warrant a risk of discovery?" Horatio asked. He brought up the track and started to tease it apart. "Agent Coulson maintains that protocol was followed perfectly for each of these missions."

"Agent sleeps with the rule books," Tony said. "I suggested blood and DNA tests for him because, around here, anything is possible and I think that Fury is going to do something about that. It's possible we have an Agent double running around. Natasha isn't letting anyone but the doctor in to see Barton. Finding these threats puts everything on a whole new level."

"Yes it does," Horatio said. He managed to separate out the vocal track and isolated it to play. "I see what Nick means. That is garbled."

Tony moved around to the other side of the counter and put his phone down next to it. "Just needs a little magic," he said. "JARVIS, vocal audio track only. Run it through the filters, rebuild the base and match to Barton's sample."

"Yes, Sir."

"Your tracker?" Horatio asked with a smile.

"JARVIS is my AI, runs everything for me around the house," Tony said. "If he can't get this rebuilt, then no one can."

"I shall do my best, Sir," JARVIS said. "Lieutenant Caine, it is a pleasure to meet you. Agent Barton has spoken of you once or twice and I had hoped to be able to meet you."

Horatio chuckled. "It's nice to meet you, JARVIS," he said. "So, I'm guessing you see everything that happens at the Tower. Did you notice anything unusual lately?"

"Agent Barton has become more subdued than normal, but he wouldn't say what the matter was," JARVIS said. "There have been two arguments between him and Agent Coulson, resulting in Agent Coulson sleeping elsewhere."

"Fights? You never told me about fights, JARVIS," Tony said. "You're supposed to tell me these things. I'll find the audio on those, Horatio. Everything at the Tower is passive recorded, I just have to get in there and pull it up."

"It would help," Horatio said. "Right now everything will help."

"The track, Sir," JARVIS said.

"Play it, J."

Barton's voice came over the speakers. "Sir, do you see your contact? Sir? Coulson, where are you?"

"That is all before the first explosions, Sirs," JARVIS said.

"So Phil was on the op," Tony said. "This needs to go up to Director Fury. JARVIS, send it up."

"Yes, Sir."

"I'm going back to medical to review files, Tony," Horatio said. "The doctors are getting me Clint's reports and if you could send me the threats and hate mail, that would help."

Tony took the tablet and checked the IP address. "Yeah, I can totally send things to this," he said. "Nick won't use my tech for SHIELD business. He's afraid I've uploaded JARVIS into it and am slowly trying to take over the world. Which I totally am, but I'd be more subtle about it than that."

Horatio smiled. He liked Tony. "Thank you for all of your help with this, Tony," he said. "I'd like to know who is trying to kill my boy before he wakes up."

"We'll find out. I'm tracking IP addresses on the notes. Whoever was sending these knew computers though, so it'll take me a while to do it. That's not to say I won't track them down, but I'll have to work at it."

"Please keep me updated," Horatio said.

"Tell Hawkeye I miss him already," Tony said. "I'll come down in a bit and talk to him. I just want to get some of this taken care of first."


	5. Chapter 5

"Horatio."

"Natasha," Horatio said with a nod. He pulled a chair over close to Barton's bed, being careful of all the wires, and sat down. "Has there been any change at all?"

"No, he's still in the coma," she said. "What did you find?"

Horatio sighed. "Things that are worrying me," he said. "Did you know that Clint's been getting death threats from someone in SHIELD?"

"He never mentioned it," Natasha said. "You know how he likes to keep his problems to himself and never say anything to anyone about it. That said, I'm not surprised. When he was taken as a slave by Loki before the Battle, he led an attack on the Helicarrier. No one seems to be able to see that he did his best to keep people alive and a lot of people blame him for the deaths that day."

"How many died?"

"Not nearly as many as you would think, but more than had to. I think the official count was twenty one, but Coulson came back to life, so twenty," Natasha said. "The team Clint was leading was here to provide a distraction for Loki and cripple the Helicarrier. They weren't here to kill, and I know that was Clint's order."

"So we have friends of twenty people to look at for these death threats," Horatio said. "That's something that Nick's office is better suited for. I want to know more about these missions that he's been going on, and why Phil Coulson remembers meetings about them when there weren't any."

Natasha shrugged. "Around here, that sounds almost normal," she said. "When you deal with alien incursions and threats from guys who think they're Nazis, you learn that anything is possible."

"I imagine you do," Horatio said. "Tony told me he suggested blood and DNA tests for Phil. Do you think that should be extended to everyone?"

"Everyone on the team at least," Natasha said. "I'll go talk with Fury about it. I'm sure it'll do Clint good to hear your voice."

"Thank you for staying with him," Horatio said.

"Nowhere else I'd rather be," Natasha said. She nodded to Horatio and left. He sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Hey Clint, it sounds to me like you've got some problems going on up here. You're a smart boy, so I wonder if you knew something was wrong or not before the building you were on blew up. The doctor says he doesn't know where you were perched, but I know you. You were up on the roof and you found a way to ride the blast and protect your back. I wish you'd been able to protect your head too, but explosions are so unpredictable. From the sounds of things, you did good to come out of this like you did."

He looked down at the tablet when it beeped and started to pull up files. "This would be easier if I knew what I was looking for, you know," he said with a smile. "I should have taken you to the lab with me a few times, not just for the day you were there a few months ago, but for a whole case so you could see exactly what it is I do. There are so many tiny little puzzle pieces that have to be fit together to solve a case, and starting off blind or with pieces that don't match, that makes it harder. That's not to say it's impossible, I'll find answers to the questions I have, it'll just take a while. This would be easier if you were awake, you know, Clint. Not to mention it would make a lot of people happy to have you back. I wonder if Nick would let me take you down to Miami while you're healing up. Sitting in the sun makes everyone feel better, I think, and I know I'd enjoy spending time with you again. I'll have to ask him."


	6. Chapter 6

Tony took the time to let Fury know what he was doing and then suited up and headed back to the Tower. He couldn't access recordings from outside his lab and he wanted to find out what the two arguments between Barton and Coulson were about. Once inside, he sealed off his lab and sat down at his desk. "Okay, so when and where were these fights, JARVIS?" he asked, fingers flying over the keyboard.

"I pulled the relevant video up for you, Sir, when you expressed interest from the Helicarrier," JARVIS said. "Would you like me to play the first one?"

"Yeah, let's see what this is all about."

The monitor in front of him came to life, showing the floor that Barton and Coulson shared. They had painted the walls a robin eggshell blue and had furnishing that were both complimentary and shocking when compared to the wall color. Tony had a feeling that the shocking was Barton, but he would have to ask to be sure. He heard the pair before he saw them.

"I'm fine, Phil," Barton was saying.

"Fine is not having twenty stitches in your arm from the string on your bow snapping," Coulson replied, coming into view. "What the hell were you thinking, Clint, going into battle without checking your gear first?"

"I did check it," Barton said. He appeared and flopped down onto the sofa. There was a white bandage around his right arm from his wrist up to his shoulder. "I check my bow four times a day and you know it, Phil. Before I shoot in the morning, after I'm done shooting in the morning, before I shoot at night and when I'm done shooting for the night. I had just replaced that string the day before and it was fine. I looked it over when we were en-route. I don't know what happened, but this isn't my fault."

"No one else touches your gear, Clint," Coulson said. "No one gets near your gear. You expect me to believe that someone was able to sabotage you without you knowing about it?"

Barton sighed. "It's either that or the string was faulty out of the lab," he said. "You know the R&D guys make me everything I need. Even my eyes aren't microscopic good, Phil. If there was a small flaw in the string, it's possible I wouldn't have seen it during any of my checks."

"JARVIS, pause for a second," Tony said. "What's that on Agent's inner arm almost buried under his sleeve."

The image shifted and enhanced. Coulson had his sleeves rolled halfway up his arms, and a patch of some sort was only just visible from under the roll. "What is that?" Tony asked. "Agent doesn't smoke and I can't think of any other sort of patch he would be wearing, can you?"

"No, Sir."

"Call Fury for me," Tony said. "I remember the battle that led to this argument. I saw the string, it wasn't tampered with in a traditional manner. In fact, I think I have it in the lab somewhere because I wanted to see what had happened with it. Where'd I put it, J?"

"On the scanning table, Sir," JARVIS said. "We were going to attempt to make an unbreakable string for the bow."

"That's right, thanks. Fury, why would Agent Coulson be wearing a patch on the inner skin of his left arm?" Tony asked, rolling over to the scanning table.

"I can't think of a reason he would be," Fury said. "Horatio's been talking with me about these threat letters Barton's been receiving. Have you had any luck tracking down who is sending them?"

"No, Sir, Director Fury," JARVIS replied. "Whoever was sending them laid a trail of IP addresses. I will eventually be able to track them back, but it will take me at least another day, if not longer."

"All right, keep at it JARVIS," Fury said. "Now, what's this about a patch, Stark?"

Tony waved his fingers towards the frozen monitor. "JARVIS, send him a screencap," he said. He picked up the broken string and looked at it. "That cap is from an argument that he and Barton were having about Barton not caring for his bow."

"The day Barton doesn't care for his bow is the day I retire," Fury said. "No, that's not anything I recognize. I'll ask him about it. Keep at it, Stark. I want to know what's going on on my ship."

"We'll find you answers, Nick," Tony said. "It'll all come together. JARVIS, where's the big magnifier?"

"On the shelf where you last left it, Sir," JARVIS said.

Fury snorted. "I'll leave you to it. I gave Horatio your phone number, so you might be getting a call from him."

"Yeah, that's fine," Tony said. "I'll call you back when I know anything. JARVIS, this isn't right."

"What is the problem, Sir?" JARVIS asked.

"There's charring on the inside of this string," Tony replied. "Barton's strings are custom made out of mystery materials that SHIELD isn't talking about, but there shouldn't be a way that it could char from the inside, is there? Where's Bruce? I need Chemistry to happen in here."


	7. Chapter 7

Fury put his phone down and looked across the desk at Coulson. "Take off your jacket and roll up your sleeves," he said.

"Sir?"

"Just do it, Phil, don't mess with me," Fury said. "There's something very wrong on my boat and I don't have a clue what's going on, and that makes me mad. I want to know if it's possible we've had Loki back in here and no one caught it. Let me see your arms now."

Coulson stood up and took off his jacket, draping it neatly over the back of a chair before he rolled both sleeves up to above his elbows. "I don't know what you're expecting to find on my arms, Sir."

"That patch there, Phil, what's it for?"

"Some of my medicines for my lung, Sir," Coulson replied. "Medical worked them into a patch so they would release slowly into my system and I didn't have to worry about build-up and possible side effects on my liver and kidneys."

"That's all well and good, except that they never told me about it," Fury said. "I also know you, Phil, and you'd have extra with you. Let me have one of them and let's see exactly what medicine you're getting from these patches of yours."  
****

Horatio looked up when Fury stormed into the room. "I take it you got some not so good news?" he asked.

"Coulson's being drugged," Fury said. "He's back in medical being evaluated, but whoever is doing this is one of my people. I want answers, Horatio." He looked at the bed. "Has there been any changes in his condition?"

"Nothing so far," Horatio said. "The doctors are starting to push for me to take him off life support."

"With Coulson down like he is, the choice will be yours," Fury said. 

"What drugs was Coulson given?" Horatio asked.

"A chemical mix that would create some very realistic hallucinations," Fury replied. "Enough that he would believe that he was meeting with me and be cleared for ops that he had no business being on. I don't know how he's managed to act normal for so long, but no one picked up on anything wrong. Not even Barton."

"That's not true, Nick, Hawkeye was picking up on something, he just didn't know what it was," Tony said.

"God damn it, Stark, I've told you not to do that," Fury growled.

Tony came in and put a tablet down on the bed's table. "Yeah, yeah, shoot me, I've heard it all before, Nick," he said. "I watched the tape of the second argument and also what happened immediately after Coulson stormed out of the apartment. Barton knew something was wrong, but he blamed himself for it. Thought that he was putting too much stress on Agent after the attack and physical therapy. I wish he'd felt like he could talk to me about it, but I've been busy in my lab working."

"Clint's smart," Horatio said. "I wouldn't mind beating up his blood family for what they did to him, but that's impossible to do."

"Can't kick ghosts," Tony said. "I've tried, just leads to broken feet. I also found out, with Bruce's help, that Barton's gear is being tampered with. That broken string he had that led to all those stitches, it was treated."

"Treated how?" Fury asked.

"Each arrow Barton nocks creates a minute friction on the string as he draws it," Tony replied. "Generating heat. The broken string, and we need to check his stock of strings to make sure there aren't more like this, would slowly char and finally snap. Whoever did it probably hoped that he would die in battle because that's where he shoots the most. There wouldn't have been enough draws during any of his practice sessions to do this. They didn't help, but the creep hurting my friend was counting on failure during battle."

Fury sighed. "So someone is drugging my right-hand man and trying to get my top sniper killed," he said. "I don't care what it takes, you two, I want to know where those threat letters were coming from and I want someone in my office that I can question."

"We'll find them, Nick," Horatio said softly. "Is Phil going to be okay?"

"Once we get the drugs out of his system, they think so," Fury said. "They also don't know who gave him the patches, but it wasn't medical."

"We're looking for someone who knows Chemistry, someone who knows the Avengers, knows Coulson and that Coulson trusts," Tony said. "I mean, think about it, how many people outside of medical would he take anything from and actually use it?"

"Not many," Fury said. "Get me a name, Stark."

Horatio looked over at Tony once Fury was gone. "I haven't seen him that mad before," he commented softly. "What can I do to help?"

"Get Barton awake and back with us," Tony said. "He'll be able to tell us more than recordings can. Bruce is working on the strings and other medicines from their floor. I'm tracking the IP addresses on those messages. JARVIS, hack into the security cameras in Coulson's office. Let's see who's been visiting him the most other than Barton."

"Yes, Sir," JARVIS said, voice coming from the tablet.

Horatio glanced over with a smile. "Taking over the world?" he asked.

"One tablet at a time," Tony replied with a grin.


	8. Chapter 8

Coulson woke up and realized he had a migraine. He groaned and closed his eyes, trying to block out as much light as he could.

"Hang on," a soft voice said, and the light was dimmed down. "There, how's that?"

"Where the hell am I?" Coulson asked. 

"Medical," Steve replied just as softly. "You've been unconscious for about six hours, Phil."

"What happened? Was I hurt on an op?"

Steve sighed. "We're not sure what's going on, but no, you weren't injured on an op," he said. "I'll get the doctor to come in and explain it a little better, but until we're sure what's going on, the director asked that Bruce and I stay with you."

"Bruce?"

"I'm here," he said. "I'm also not surprised you have a migraine, Phil. You've been given some pretty heavy drugs for the past few months and withdrawl from them isn't going to be pleasant. Here's the doctor."

"Agent Coulson, how do you feel?"

"Like my head is about to explode," Coulson replied. He didn't dare open his eyes, even with the lights dimmed. "What drugs did you people have me on?"

"It wasn't us, Agent Coulson," the doctor said. "Here, let me give you something for the pain. Dr. Banner, Captain, this is just standard grade migraine medicine. It'll knock the symptoms back enough that he can talk with us a little more easily."

"If he gets worse, we'll know who to come to," Bruce said softly.

Coulson felt the medicine enter his IV and winced. "What is going on?" he asked. "Where's Clint?"

"Barton's injured, Phil," Steve replied. "His father is here with him."

"Horatio's here? How long have I been out again?"

"You've been unconscious for six hours, but we estimate the drugs have been in your system and interfering with your daily decisions for at least four months, if not longer," the doctor said. "You should be feeling less pain now, Agent Coulson."

He risked opening his eyes a little and blinked when pain didn't stab back into his brain. "When is someone going to tell me what the hell happened?" he asked.

"We're not sure what's happened, Phil," Bruce said. "You had Barton out on an unauthorized op and a building came down on him. He's banged up badly and the doctors don't have much hope that he'll wake up again. The drugs that were, and probably still are to an extent, in your system were causing hallucinations leading you to believe that your ops were authorized and the problems only just came to light. Someone in SHIELD is doing their best to kill Barton."

"You're saying I've been compromised," Coulson said.

"Do you remember who gave you the patches, Phil?" Steve asked. "You told Director Fury that it was medical and the patches were a slow delivery system for some of your medications. The problem is that medical has no idea where they came from and those medications couldn't be put into patch form."

"It's all, my mind is a blur," Coulson admitted. "Clint's hurt?"

"Badly. When we're sure the drugs are out of your system and you're not sick from them, you can go see him," Bruce said. "Horatio and Natasha are sitting with him right now, Horatio's also helping with the investigation."

Coulson wanted to shake his head, but knew it would make him sick if he did. "What's happening?" he asked.

"We don't know," Steve replied, "but we're going to find out. We'll take care of it, Phil. You rest. Bruce and I aren't going anywhere."


	9. Chapter 9

Horatio was reviewing two of the threat letters, comparing language and usage when his cell phone rang. "Horatio."

"Hey, it's me," Eric said. "When are you going to be back at the lab?"

"I'm not sure, Eric, this is more involved than I thought and it's possible I could be gone for weeks," Horatio said. "I've already talked with Calleigh and she's going to handle assignments for me."

"Cal's good, H, but she's not you and we need you here," Eric said.

"Eric, this is more important than the lab right now," Horatio said. "One of the federal agencies has asked for my help in an investigation and I'm going to honor that because they do more good than a lot of people I know."

"So you're working with Clint then?"

Horatio sighed. "Eric, you do not know the whole story and your tone is out of line," he said. "I'm asking you as a friend to drop this now before you make me mad. I will be home when you see me. I need to go, I'll talk to you later." He turned off his phone before Eric could say anything and sighed.

"Problem?" Natasha asked from the spare bed.

"One of my people," Horatio replied. "He was working the case that Clint consulted on for me and, according to Clint, has a crush on me."

"Clint's got good eyes, he's probably right," Natasha said.

"Which is a problem because I don't see him in the same light," Horatio said. "I'll deal with it when I'm back in Miami. Right now, I think I might have found something. These notes were written by two different people."

Tony looked over from his tablet. "Which could also explain this nightmare trail of IP addresses they were routed through before they reached Hawkeye," he said. "What are you seeing?"

"The language used is inconsistent with one person," Horatio said. "Even when someone is trying to hide their identity, certain things come through in their writing regardless of how hard they try to eliminate it. We learn to write by rote at school, but everyone develops their own usage and styles as they grow. I'm seeing two very different people here. Both are native English speakers, one comes from a wealthy family and has been in the military a long time. The other is more likely a scholarship or military paid education, and is a doctor."

"Medical or academic?" Tony asked. "There's both in SHIELD and we need to narrow that down."

Horatio looked up when Fury entered the room. "Director."

"I heard what you were saying, Horatio. Finish it up, are we looking at one of our medical staff or one of our scientists?"

"I would lean towards scientist right now, only because some of the wording isn't medical based," Horatio said.

Fury sighed. "So we're looking for two people, one of whom is from money and military to the core," he said. "The second is poor but worked their way through school with help from the government and is probably a scientist. Narrow that down with the other clues we already have and I think I know who the first person is."

"Who do I have to kill, Sir?" Natasha asked.

"You will stand down, Agent Romanov," Fury replied. "I need you here with Barton until this mess is over with and we can figure out what we're doing for him. Stark, you come with me. I need a hacker that can't be traced and I know damn well that means JARVIS, no matter how much I hate it."

"Do you need me to keep working on the threat letters, Nick?" Horatio asked.

"No, I think you've given us the information we need," Fury replied. "Now I want you to talk with the doctors about your boy and what all is going to happen there. Coulson has woken up twice and is showing improvement each time. They're flushing his system as fast as they dare, but he's going to be in withdraw for at least two weeks."

Horatio nodded. "Let me know if there's anything else I can do to help out."

"Trust me, I will," Fury said. "Let's go, Stark."


	10. Chapter 10

Tony followed Fury up to the office and waited until the door was shut behind them before he dared say anything. "You have an idea who it is, Nick?" he asked.

"You were out by the engine keeping us in the air during the battle," Fury replied. He sat down behind his desk. "I think people forget exactly how good both my memory and my hearing are. I didn't take action because I thought someone was just running their mouth post battle, but I think now it's time to do a little digging. I don't want anyone to know we've been looking. Understand?"

"You get all of that, JARVIS?" Tony asked.

"I did, Sir," JARVIS said via the tablet Tony was carrying. "Though I would remind Director Fury that I need some hint as to who I am looking for. Sifting through the entirety of the SHIELD system could take me a week at best."

Fury sighed. "I want you to check into two accounts, JARVIS," he said. "Same person, just one's personal and one is professional."

"Yes, Sir," JARVIS said. "Given the level of detail seen thus far in the electronic communications, I will assume a high level of protection around both of these accounts and proceed accordingly. I will keep you updated on my progress."

"Nick, can I ask how you came up with this name?" Tony asked. "I'm kinda shocked by it, honestly."

"No one knows it, but she lost her boyfriend in the attack," Fury replied. "I also know for a fact that she's never liked Barton, not from the moment he joined SHIELD, and has seen him as a threat to our work. Given the events of the attack on the Helicarrier, I'd be damn surprised if she doesn't blame Barton for her boyfriend's death. Now, I don't know who our second person is, but I agree with Horatio's assessment that it's one of the science team. You focus on them and find out who I need to interrogate."

Tony nodded. "Easy enough, but it'll probably be tomorrow before we start seeing results," he said. "JARVIS and I are good, but we can only work as fast as the data stream lets us."

"Get me a name and get me evidence one way or the other," Fury said. "This is ending now."  
****

"Doctor, let me make one thing perfectly clear to you," Horatio said. "Clint is remaining on life support until I have lost all hope that he will wake up. Until that happens, you will continue to treat him as if he is going to wake up in an hour. Should I find out that you are skimping on his treatments, or that you missed something because you've locked yourself into the mindset that he's going to do, then you'll have to deal with me." He stepped forward and looked directly into the doctor's eyes. "You'll find that I'm scarier than your director when my family is concerned. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, Lieutenant," the doctor said.

"Good. Now, I want full reports on Clint's injuries," Horatio said. "I was promised those hours ago and they have yet to appear. It's entirely possible that he could be receiving better care elsewhere and I want to know if that's true or not."

"I'll go get the files now." The doctor all but fled the room.

Natasha looked up from the tablet she'd been working on. She was learning a new language for an op. "You really are almost scarier than Fury," she said.

"I was holding back," Horatio said with a smile. He moved over to the bed and looked down at Barton. "I would happily take him to Miami with me if I thought he would get better treatment there, but I don't think he will. I do know that SHIELD has the best medical department around."

"Not to mention there's a risk that your friend might show up," Natasha said.

"I don't know what I'm going to do about him," Horatio said with a sigh. "I know that I need to talk with him about his feelings for me, but I need to be able to focus on Clint right now."

"He doesn't know about your relationship with Clint?"

"No, I haven't talked with anyone in Miami about it," Horatio said. "Frank Tripp knows, but that's only because he knew Clint back when he was living with me. I think it would be too dangerous to let people know that I helped raise one of the best assassins in the world."

Natasha looked up with a smile. "Not many people would take pride in that, you know."

"He's never killed an innocent and he doesn't let people suffer," Horatio said. "I'm proud of Clint for doing what he loves."

"Everyone should have a parent like you, Horatio. I wish I had someone to be proud of me."

"You do, Natasha, you have Fury, Clint, and your team," Horatio said. "If your family can't be proud of you, then who can?"


	11. Chapter 11

"Director Fury, Sir."

"Yes, doctor, what is it?" Fury asked in the tone that said someone had better be dying before anyone dared to disturb him.

"Agent Coulson is insisting on going to see Agent Barton," the doctor replied. 

Fury looked up from the report he was reading. JARVIS, for all of his concerns, was starting to be able to route Fury documents that showed they were on the right track. "Are the drugs out of his system?" he asked.

"Enough that he can be allowed to move around medical with an escort," the doctor said. "Captain Rogers and Dr. Banner both seem like they're not leaving Agent Coulson alone any time soon."

"Then I don't see what the problem is," Fury said. "If Agent Coulson is alert and aware, and you feel the drugs are mostly out of his system, then let him see Agent Barton. You know how close the two of them are."

"I'm worried about the impact it could have on his mental state," the doctor said. "Agent Coulson was compromised, but he did ultimately take Agent Barton out on the assignment that led to Agent Barton being in medical on life support. I don't think letting Agent Coulson see Agent Barton in this state is a good idea."

"Your concern is noted," Fury said. "Let him see Barton."

The doctor sighed. There were days when he wasn't even sure why he tried. "Yes, Sir," he said.  
***

Horatio looked up from Barton's medical records when the door opened. "Phil, are you okay?" he asked. He went over and helped the other man into the room. "Here, sit down. How are you feeling?"

"Like I've been run over by a tank," Coulson replied. "Horatio, they told me that we've already talked, but I don't remember it. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry for anything, Phil," Horatio said. He pulled another chair over and sat down. "You're as much of a victim in this plot as Clint is, and you were both helpless to do anything. You've got to work on getting better because my boy is going to need us both."

"The doctors won't tell me anything about his condition. How bad is it?"

"It's bad, but you know what, I have hope for him to wake up," Horatio said. "Because I know Clint and I know what a fighter he is. It might take him a while, but he'll be back with us again, Phil. He'd never leave you alone like this."

Coulson looked down at his hands. "He might blame me for what happened," he said. "I'm the one that took him on those missions. Hell, they were all unsanctioned by the director. I think I'm lucky I'm not being held for trial right now."

"Nick understands that you were drugged and used by another," Horatio said. "No one, no matter how strong they are or how well they are trained to resist torture would have been able to fight off these drugs, Phil. I think we're lucky that they didn't kill you, given how steady a dose you were taking. I'm hoping your memory is going to come back as you're recovering, do you have any memory of who gave you those patches?"

"I don't," Coulson said. "It's possible I could remember later on, but that doesn't help us now, does it? I think you're going to have to ignore me as a possible witness and trust to other means."

"Which we are, Agent Coulson, but your input would be most welcome," JARVIS said.

"Did Tony give you that tablet?" Coulson asked with a smile.

"He did, much to Nick's dismay," Horatio replied with a smile. 

"I wish I could help out, JARVIS, but right now I feel like you would if an EMP went off near your main banks," Coulson said. "Are you and Stark making any headway into who did this?"

"We are, Sir," JARVIS said. "Mr. Stark wishes me to tell you to get better so you can go back to threatening to taze him at regular intervals."

Coulson managed a smile. "Working on it, JARVIS," he said. "Tell Stark I said thank you."

"Of course, Sir."

Coulson looked over at Horatio. "You're watching over Clint?" he asked.

"I'm not leaving his side until the both of you are healthy again, Phil," Horatio said. "Clint is my family, which means you are my family. Family means everything to me and there is nowhere else I would rather be right now. Do you want to lie down for a bit? There's a spare bed and your friends could go get some dinner."

Rogers and Banner both blushed. Coulson nodded. "I'd like that," he said. "Let me be close to Clint for a bit."

"Let him know you're here and then we'll get you settled in, okay?" Horatio asked.


	12. Chapter 12

Fury was in his office reading through a file when there was a knock on his door. "Enter."

"You wanted to see me, Sir?"

"Come in and sit down, Agent Hill," Fury replied. He put the folder down on his desk and folded his hands on top of it. "I'm very interested in something, Agent Hill, and I'm hoping that you'll be able to give me the answers I'm looking for."

"I'll do my best, Sir," Hill said.

"At what point in time did you first give the drugged patches to Agent Coulson?"

"Sir?"

Fury looked at her steadily. "You're good with computers, but you're not good enough," he said. "JARVIS was able to find the chemical equations of the drugs that were mixed and placed on patches given to Agent Coulson approximately four to four and a half months ago. Right now, medical is amazed he's not dead from an overdose given the potency of the doses. JARVIS and Stark were also able to locate the video footage of you taking the box of patches to Agent Coulson in his office every month."

"Director Fury, Sir," Hill started and then paused. "Video?"

"Video."

"I don't know what you want me to say, Sir," she said.

"The truth would be a damn good place to start," Fury said. "You've tried to kill two of your colleagues, one of whom sees you as a close friend. I want to know if this whole crazy scheme was your idea or your partner's."

"The sentence is the same either way, isn't it, Sir?"

"You know damn well that it is, but you might get a little respect for telling the truth," Fury said. "Hill, I know what you lost the day of the attack. I also know that you thought I didn't know, that I hadn't heard you that day, or seen you with him in the months before the battle."

"Barton killed him, Sir."

"Agent Barton didn't kill a single person that day," Fury said. "In fact, video review shows that he was doing his best to minimize damages while he was compromised by an alien force. You know as well as I do that he missed both of us when the cube was taken. Think about that one for a minute, Hill. He could have shot you in the head, but he pulled his shot. He pulled every shot. Barton does not miss. Ever."

She looked down at her hands with a sigh. "He's responsible for taking out two of the engines of the Helicarrier and leading a strike team against us, Sir," Hill said. "He should have been arrested and detained, not made and Avenger and cleared for duty without talking to anyone."

"Now that's where you're wrong. He did talk to someone," Fury said. "He talked to me. On the record and frankly about what happened to him. That's why he cleared for duty so easily. Because I could see that he was innocent of everything. He held himself guilty, Hill. Everyone here but Coulson and me held him guilty. I don't know if he'll ever fully forgive himself, but the damage that day was minimal. I don't know what might have happened if Loki had chosen me instead."

"Loki wouldn't have chosen you, Sir," Hill said.

"You know that for a fact, do you, Hill?" Fury asked.

"I do, Sir. I reviewed the footage from the base, or what was left of it after the implosion, and I believe Loki was there before any of us realized it," she said. "Dr. Selvig had a habit of talking to himself, but he would pause as if he was getting answers. Loki was there and he was watching us before we knew it."

Fury leaned back in his chair. "You're just telling me this now," he said. 

"I didn't think it was important, Sir, with Loki gone."

"You don't make those decisions, I do," Fury said. "So, you involved Agent Coulson because he's the only one that handles Agent Barton. Barton was your real target. I have to say that I'm very disappointed in you, Hill. I asked you, back when you were promoted to my second, if you would be able to lay your heart to the side to do this job and you said yes. You lied to me, Hill, and that's not something I take lightly. You'll be held until we have all the evidence against you and your partner gathered."

She looked up. "You don't know who he is."

"Oh, we know; I'm just leaving that to Stark, JARVIS and Dr. Banner," Fury said. "Consider yourself under arrest."


	13. Chapter 13

"So, anyway, Bruce, you have to come and see these new robots I've been working with," Tony said as the pair walked into one of the labs. "I got to thinking about how everyone is going towards the roomba for so many different applications and thought, you know, I could totally make that smaller, better and for less money. Not just for private homes, but for other applications as well. I doubt I'll ever convince Fury to get one for SHIELD, you know how much he trusts me and, oh, hello, I didn't realize anyone was here. You're Robert Fergeson, aren't you?"

"I didn't think you knew me, Mr. Stark," Robert said. "I'll get out of your way."

"No no, don't run off," Tony said, moving around to the other side of the table. He put his tablet down with a grin. "You see, I'm more of an engineer than a chemist and Bruce there, he understands chemistry but he can't explain it worth anything so I'm really confused about a project and your name is the one they gave me when I asked around about who would be good to explain chemicals in simple terms."

Bruce moved around to the other side, effectively blocking the man in. "I've tried to explain to Tony that the numbers in this formula are wrong, but he insists they're right," he said with a small smile. "If you're not busy working on something for SHIELD, would you be willing to take a minute and look this over for us? An outside opinion is sometimes the best thing in your work."

"Yeah, sure, I guess," Robert said. "I don't know how much help I'll be though."

"To start with, you can stop playing with the knife in your pocket," a soft voice said from behind them all. "Take it out and put it on the table slowly or you will find out what being shot in the head feels like."

"Thanks, Horatio," Tony said. "I know you want to stay with Barton, but I thought a little extra back-up would be a good thing. Turn around slowly there, Robby, and meet Clint Barton's father."

Robert looked behind him and paled when he caught sight of Horatio standing there with a gun pointed directly at his head. Horatio smiled grimly. "I'm not a member of SHIELD and I have no problem killing to protect my family," he said softly. "Knife on the table now. I'm not going to tell you again."

"I didn't know Agent Barton had family," Robert said. He put the knife on the table and raised his hands out to the side. "How did you find me?"

"You weren't smart about erasing your traces in the computer system," Tony said. "If you want to be an evil genius, you need to learn not to leave your notes on your evil plans where anyone with half a brain about computers can find them. Now then, I think Director Fury wants to meet you, Robby. Why don't we just go along and see him and you can explain exactly why you decided to help kill one of my team. You see, Horatio there will kill for his family, but you know what" He leaned in and made eye contact. "I don't kill. I will take out every moment of torture you inflicted on my team before I let Horatio near you. So let's go."  
****

"We got him," Horatio said softly when he got back to Clint's room in medical. "Nick is taking over the investigation and he's not happy."

"I can't imagine he is," Coulson said. "I know that I'm feeling pretty sick about the whole thing myself. That friends did this to us is bad enough, but that they were able to do it under Director Fury's nose. That scares me."

"It just means you need to reassess pre-mission protocols," Horatio said. "Which means that Clint is going to have to start going to meetings with you, no matter how much he hates them."

Coulson sat up with Steve's help. "I looked over the medical report, Horatio," he said. "Clint's out of action for at least two years if not longer. It's possible there's brain damage that we don't know about and that could screw up his vision or his stability in his grip. I know he's strong, he's probably the strongest man I've ever met, and I don't know how he'll come back from all of this."

"Say he can't," Horatio said. "Clint wakes up and he's not able to go out and fight against the monsters anymore. Is there anything stopping him from teaching or helping prepare mission specs?"

"No, of course not, and he's certainly smart enough to do it," Coulson said. "I just worry he'll get bored and leave."

Horatio moved over and sat down on the bed next to Coulson. "Phil, he loves you more than anything. He's not going to leave you, okay?"

"I wish I could be as sure as you are, Horatio."

"Tell you what, when he wakes up and can leave medical, you both come down and stay with me," Horatio said. "The sun in Miami is good for lots of things and I'd love to have you both with me for a while."

"Thanks you, we'll do that," Coulson said. "Horatio, I don't know how you can forgive me for what I did to Clint."

"Hey, listen to me, there's nothing to forgive because this is not your fault, okay?" Horatio said. "This is not your fault because you are as much of a victim in this as Clint is, and the ones who are responsible are going to suffer for what they did. Your job, look at me, your job is to get better so you can help me with Clint. Okay?"

Coulson nodded and wiped his eyes. "Okay."


	14. Chapter 14

"Ow."

"Clint, hey, are you awake?" a soft voice asked from off to the right.

"Pop?"

"Yeah, hey there," Horatio said. "You've been in a coma for several weeks, Clint. There's a lot of people who are going to be very happy to see you awake. I've called for the doctor, how do you feel?"

"Why are the lights out?" Barton asked, blinking a couple of times.

Horatio paused. "Clint, you were hurt worse than they've ever seen for you," he replied slowly. "The estimate is that a building came down on you and there was massive head trauma. I'm not going to lie to you, son, it's possible you're blind."

"Not my eyes, Pop," Barton said. He reached out, searching for Horatio's hand. "Anything but my eyes. I don't know how not to see."

"Clint, listen to me, it could be temporary," Horatio said. "So far you have defied every single thing they've said about you and that's because you're remarkable. Let's get through the tests and see what they say, okay? We'll get through this, I promise."

"Phil?"

"He's up with Nick. There's been some problems while you've been unconscious and they're just finishing up a few things," Horatio said. "Here's the doctor, Clint. I'll be right here the whole time. Doctor, he can't see."

The doctor nodded. "That's not a surprise given the level of trauma sustained when the building came down," he said. "Agent Barton, I'm almost positive this is temporary and you'll be able to see again by the end of the month. The injuries you were brought in with, well, let's just say I never thought you'd wake up. Your father here was convinced you would, and I'm really happy to have been wrong. We need to take you for some tests."

"Pop goes with me," Barton said.

"That's fine, Director Fury has given him full clearance," the doctor said. "Why don't we go and see what's going on in your head."  
****

"Director Fury, Sir, forgive me for interrupting the court martial, but Agent Barton has awoken," JARVIS said.

"Oh, thank god," Coulson said. "How is he, JARVIS?"

"He is fully awake and able to form full sentences," JARVIS said. "He has full mobility in both of his arms and legs, and full sensation in all limbs. The only worry at the moment is his eyes."

"I thought his eyes were fine, JARVIS," Fury said.

"They are physically fine, Director Fury, however he is unable to see," JARVIS said. "The doctors are running more extensive tests now to ascertain how severe a problem this is going to be."

Fury looked over at Coulson. "We can finish this up later, Phil," he said. "Go on down and see how Barton's doing. You know he's got to be freaking out about his eyes. Tell him he's got a place with SHIELD whether he can see or not."

"Thanks, Nick," Coulson said.

"Well then," Fury said, looking back at the pair who started all the problems, "I suppose that takes homicide off the list of charges, but I consider assault and maiming one of the best assets SHIELD has to be a worse crime. I'm starting to think that hard labor looks good for the beginning of your sentences."  
****

"Phil's here, Clint," Horatio said softly. "I'm going to step towards the foot of the bed so he can hold your hand, okay?"

"Yeah, thanks, Pop," Clint said. "Hey Phil."

Coulson moved into the spot Horatio had been standing in. "Hey there, welcome back," he said softly. "JARVIS told me. We'll figure something out, Clint. Fury said to tell you that you have a job no matter what."

"The doctors say it's temporary," Horatio said softly. "A month at most. There was still some fluid putting pressure on the vision centers of his brain that they didn't catch. I figured you'd want to talk with them about that. Clint's been cleared to travel now that they drained the fluid out. The offer for the beach still stands."

"I want to go, Phil," Clint said. "It'll let me spend time with Pop. Will you come too?"

"Let me talk with Fury about a couple of things and then I'll join you," Coulson said. "Horatio, I'm sure that the other Avengers are going to want to come along. Does that bother you any?"

"They helped catch the people who did this to Clint," Horatio said. "They're his family and, by default, mine. I don't have space for them all at the house, but they're welcome to come over and hang out any time they want to."


	15. Chapter 15

"What is going to make you the most comfortable while you're here, Clint?" Horatio asked as he wheeled the still-bandaged archer into the house. "I haven't rearranged anything, the layout is open so it'll be easy to move you around in the chair. What do you need me to do?"

"Just talk to me or make sure there's someone close by all the time," Barton replied. "I'm surprised the doctors let me go with as injured as I am."

Horatio smiled. "A number of your injuries have had time to heal while you were in the coma," he said. "I have a strict set of instructions on what to watch for to tell if your head injury is worsening. I think the doctors know you don't want to be in medical and took the opportunity to have someone who cares about you take over your care while you rest and heal. Phil will be here tomorrow and I think I heard Tony talking about buying a hotel or something to stay in."

"Oh, he would. I'm surprised he doesn't already have a house down here, given how many places he has around the world," Barton said. "I'm not tired, Pop, can we sit out on the deck and talk for a bit?"

"Of course we can," Horatio said. "I'm sure the sun will do you good, although you're going to need a hat. Your hair isn't as long as it was last time I saw you."

"You'll be hiding under the umbrella, won't you?" Barton asked with a grin. "I don't know why you live down here when you hide from the sun all the time. It just seems like too much work."

"It's a good place to live, the sun is just an annoyance for me," Horatio said. He parked the wheelchair at the deck table and made sure the brakes were on. "I'm going to grab a hat and a couple of sodas. There's no one around, and I'll be just inside."

Barton nodded. "I'll be okay for five minutes. It'll let me practice my listening skills," he said. "Just don't take too long."

"I won't," Horatio said.

The waves were a hiss on the sand and there wasn't much wind, so Barton knew that he would be able to hear anyone that came near him. Horatio's deck, unless that had been changed, was railed in such a way that side attacks would have to land on the deck before approaching, and he'd hear anyone on the sand. He closed his eyes with a sigh. His personal inventory of his body showed there were a couple of injuries the doctors weren't worried about, but he was. He wasn't stupid enough to think that he wasn't facing months, if not years, of physical therapy, but the doctors had down-graded him from at death's door (which was an actual classification at SHIELD) to cautiously optimistic.

"Okay, I don't know who you are, but you might as well come out," Barton said, head snapping in the direction of the noise. "I'm armed."

"Whoa, I'm not going to hurt you," a male voice said. One that was familiar.

"Eric, right?" Barton asked. "What are you doing here?"

"I'd like to know the same thing," Horatio said from behind Barton. He put the cap on the younger man's head. "I thought we took all your weapons away, Clint."

"I'm still armed," Barton said with a grin, holding out his arms.

"I'm sure Phil would have something to say about that," Horatio said. He bent down to put the drink on the table. "Natasha is on the roof."

"Thanks," Barton said.

Horatio looked over at his CSI. "What are you doing here, Eric?" he asked.

"Calleigh told me you called in and took an extended leave of absence from the lab and I wanted to make sure you're okay," Eric said. 

"I'm fine, Eric, something you could have checked over the phone," Horatio said. He sat down next to Barton and handed the younger man his soda. "It's already open, Clint."

"I didn't know if you'd tell me the truth about any injuries you might have," Eric said. "So I thought I'd come over and check on you, see if you needed any groceries or anything. I didn't know that Clint was back."

"He's back and he'll be here a while," Horatio said. "Eric, I appreciate your concern, but I'm fine. I'll be back at work in a couple of months at the most. Right now, I've had a busy day and I'd really like to get some rest."

"Yeah, no problem, H, I'll see you later," Eric said.

Barton waited until he thought the younger man was gone and looked towards Horatio. "That is?"

"He's gone."

"Pop, you need to do something about him," Barton said. "Tell him you're not interested or something, but he's going to keep popping up until you do."

"I know, and I'll think of something," Horatio said. "When your team is here and can sit with you, I'll go and find him, okay?"

"I'm holding you to that."


	16. Chapter 16

"You have a nice place, Horatio," Tony said as he hopped up the stairs and onto the deck. "You just need a little more security and you'll be set. Do you mind if I tinker a little?"

"It depends on what you want to do," Horatio said.

Tony grinned. "Okay, normally I don't do this, but since Hawkeye is here, I'd feel totally better if you had JARVIS in the house," he said. "It's not hard to link up to him, you just need a standard computer for me to plug into that you can dedicate to the program. I'll even build you one. It'll give me something to do with my hands while I'm here."

"That would be fine, Tony, thank you," Horatio said. "I feel honored to be accepted so easily by your team, Clint."

"They're good people, Pop," Barton said with a grin. "All of us are misfits who had crappy childhoods and can really understand each other. I'll be honest, I never thought I'd find a place to fit in better than I did at SHIELD, but here we are."

"Here you are indeed," Coulson said. "Horatio, I've heard that you're already having issues with your friend. We'll keep Clint company if you want to go and deal with that situation."

"It does no good to put it off, does it?" Horatio asked with a sigh. "How does everyone feel about having me bring back pizza for supper tonight?"

"Only if you let me pay," Tony replied. "No, seriously, between Cap, Bruce and birdman there, we can all eat a lot and it gets expensive. Food is on me."

Horatio looked over. "Why don't you ride along with me, Tony?" he asked. "I can have Eric meet me at the mall, there's a good computer store there, and we can pick up supper on the way home."

"Sounds cool. Hawkeye, you need anything from the mall?" Tony asked. "Bird seed, perch, seeing eye dog?"

"Just wait until I get my eye sight back, Stark," Barton said. "You're going to find bird seed where you least expect it to show up."

"He knows better."

Everyone but Barton and Coulson jumped. "Jeez, Natasha, don't do that," Tony managed. 

"You should have expected me," she said with a smile. "Clint, how do you feel?"

"I'm doing fine, honest," Barton said. "It feels good to be out in the sun, even if I can't see the ocean. Pizza sounds great for dinner, Pop."

"Then that's what we'll do," Horatio said. "Tony, if you're ready?"

"Ready when you are."  
****

"I'll be here when you're finished, Tony," Horatio said. "Eric shouldn't be long."

"I'll take my time," Tony said. He handed Horatio a phone. "Here, have JARVIS call me when you're finished. Seriously, computer stores don't take me that long. I'll go slow so you have time to talk with your friend."

"Thank you," Horatio said. He settled back in the chair at the far end of the food court with a sigh. He wasn't sure how to let Eric know all of the truth, or even if he should. There was a lot about the whole situation that was classified. 

"Hey H."

He looked over. "Eric, have a seat."

"So what's up?" Eric asked. "You said you needed to talk with me?"

"I do, Eric, about a couple of things," Horatio replied. "The first thing is something I have to admit I didn't notice until it was pointed out to me, and if I'm wrong then I apologize. It seems like you've been trying to get up the nerve to ask me out on a date, Eric. Am I right?"

"Yeah, you are," Eric said. "I just wasn't sure how best to do it."

Horatio sighed. "Eric, there's no easy way to tell you no, but that's what my answer will always be," he said. "You're very special to me, never think that you're not, but not like that. I'll be happy to go out with you any time you like, but it's always going to be as family."

"Is it because of Clint?" Eric asked.

"No, it's not. It has nothing to do with Clint at all," Horatio said. "Everyone has a type, Eric, you know that. I'm sorry, but you just aren't mine. This has the potential to be awkward, but it's only going to be if you let it, okay?"

Eric flopped back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. "So that's it?" he asked softly. "Sorry but you're not my type, but it's on you to not let it be awkward?"

"We're friends, Eric, and I think that's more important than dating each other," Horatio said, blue eyes sad. "It's never easy to be rejected, but our relationship both in the lab and away from it is too precious to me to risk attempting to do something I know will fail. I will never treat you any differently because of this, Eric. It's up to you to do the same."

"Great," Eric said. "So what about Clint? How long will he be here?"

"Clint was badly injured at work and is going to be staying with me while he recovers," Horatio said. "The doctors aren't sure how long, but it's possible up to a year. His lover is with him, so I'll be back at work in a few weeks. I haven't seen him in years, not for an extended period of time, and want to be able to catch up with him. Besides, you and Calleigh are always telling me I work too much. You should be glad I'm taking your advice."

"This isn't exactly what I meant," Eric said.

"Lieutenant Caine, Sir, I do apologize for interrupting, but there is a man with a gun in the toy store across from the computer store, and he has several children hostage," JARVIS said. "It's too risky for us to try anything."

Horatio grabbed the phone and stood up. "Come on, Eric," he said. "Call it in and get me patrol. JARVIS, where is Tony?"

"He's in the computer store, third isle back on the floor," JARVIS said. "He has a clear line of sight into the toy store."

"Tell him to stay put," Horatio said. "Eric, ETA on patrol?"

"Ten minutes out," Eric said.

"That's too long to risk," Horatio said. "You wait back here and direct patrol up to me. I'm going in, Eric."


	17. Chapter 17

The only problem with going to try and talk the man down was that, as Horatio had come from home, he didn't have his badge, ID card or gun with him. He wasn't even in a suit, just a polo and jeans. He had to hope that the man who was in the toy store with a gun watched the news or knew who Horatio was. With a deep breath, he looked around the corner into the toy store, assessing the situation. "JARVIS, I'm going to need a distraction," Horatio said quietly, holding the phone close to his mouth. "I'm going to have to put the phone in my pocket, but when I say your name, would it be possible for you to do something loud and shocking?"

"Mr. Stark has programmed me for just such noises, Sir," JARVIS said. "I believe that I can create enough of a distraction for you. I will listen for my name."

"Thank you, and make sure that Tony stays put," Horatio said. "I'm going to have to be focused on the gunman. I can't be worrying about him."

"He promises to stay put unless you are in obvious danger," JARVIS said. "With the children in there, neither of us want to put them at risk."

"Sounds good," Horatio said. He tucked the phone into his front pocket and headed into the store. "Let them go."

"Who the hell are you?" the gunman demanded, not turning around.

Horatio stepped slowly into his line of sight. "My name is Horatio Caine and I'm with the Crime Lab," he said softly. "Let the children and their parents go and we can talk about this, okay?"

"No, they're not going anywhere. Get out of here or I'll start killing them."

"You don't want to do that," Horatio said softly. "That is the last thing you want to, my friend. Put the gun down and let's talk about this. Come on, I can help you."

"You don't even have a gun."

"That's true, I don't. I didn't come from work, I'm here shopping," Horatio said. "My job is to protect the people of this city at all times, and that's what I'm going to do. Put the gun down, let the children go and we can talk."

"You take one more step towards me, I start shooting," the man said.

"Okay, you're in charge here," Horatio said, hands out to his side. "You can shoot faster than I can get to you. I won't move a step, but you need to let the hostages go. You have me in here now, and I'm a better hostage than they are. I called for back-up before I came and you know my friends will want to get me back. Let them go and I'll stay with you."

The man shook his head. "Children are the best hostages because they get you the most attention," he said. "I had to wait until the store filled up, but it finally did. You go back out and tell your friends to get ready to start meeting my demands."

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that," Horatio said. "JARVIS, now."

All the kids screamed and covered their ears when a mix of air horns, fire alarms and what could possibly be bomb explosions echoed through the store. Horatio took the split second advantage the confusion gave him and tackled the gunman, taking him down to the floor. He grabbed the gun and pressed it against the man's head. "Now you get to listen to my demands," he said softly.  
****

"Okay, that was cool," Tony said once everything was finished and the mall was back to normal. "What would you have done if you hadn't had a link to JARVIS though? The man was ready to start shooting, I could tell by the tension in his body."

Horatio smiled. "I'd picked up pair of bean bags," he said. "They would have been enough to knock the gun off target safely and knock the man over a little, even with how hyped up his system was, and that would have given me time to tackle him. I wasn't going to risk those children, Tony, never children."

"I know exactly what you mean, the runts grow on you," Tony said. "So, how did your meeting with your friend go? I've got everything I need and I called for pizza delivery because the team has to be hungry and we're running late."

"Not as well as I would have hoped," Horatio admitted. "I feel bad for being as blunt as I was with Eric, but there's more I'm not telling him. I do think I managed to knock the idea that Clint and I are lovers out of his head though."

"Okay, ew, you guys are way too obviously father and son for anyone to pick up on that," Tony said. "I mean, he calls you 'pop'. How is that not a clue that you're a father figure and not a lover?"

"I suppose Eric is allowing jealousy to lead him rather than the evidence," Horatio said. "I probably should have told him that I have a partner, one that just doesn't live here right now."

Tony looked over. "Long-distance is hard," he said. "How long?"

"Over a year, and he's active military, so I worry every day," Horatio said. "Every day that he's not going to come back to me. No one at work knows about him, I've never spoken much about my personal life because it's too risky, but it's hard."

"Do you have a way to at least talk with him?" Tony asked.

"We video-chat once a week when he's able. He's got eight months left of this tour and then he'll be home for a bit. All I can do is pray that he'll come home safely." He unlocked the Hummer and helped Tony load things into the back. "Where are you guys staying while you're here, Tony?"

"I took out a floor at one of the hotels," Tony said. "We'll be fine."

"Clint thought you might buy a house down here."

"Miami is too humid for my electronics," Tony said. "No offense to your city or anything, but the only reason I'll be able to hook JARVIS up for you at your place is you have air conditioning and it's not overly humid inside. I'm not taking him back when I leave either. You've got a connection to us, you need the protection. Keep the phone too. You're a member of our team now and we take care of our own."


	18. Chapter 18

"Hey Agent, can I talk to you for a minute?" Tony called from the house. He'd had dinner with the team and then gone in to work on setting up JARVIS. He didn't want to leave the house without them having that extra layer of security.

"Why does Tony use Phil's title instead of his name?" Horatio asked.

Barton started laughing. "When Phil first introduced himself to Tony, it was always by Agent Coulson," he said. "It was roughly two years before Tony realized that was a title and not a name, so he uses it an as affectionate nickname. Phil knows it means Tony cares for him."

"Tony gives everyone nicknames," Steve said. "I'm Capsicle, Bruce is his science bro, Clint is usually birdy or birdman but can also be Legolas, and Natasha..."

"He doesn't dare," Natasha broke in with a small smile.

"He's an interesting man," Horatio said. "It's obvious how much he cares for all of you."

"He takes care of us, and we take care of him," Steve said. "It's hard sometimes, but we manage. Just like any family."

"So I wonder what he needed Phil for," Barton said, turning towards the house.

"He might just want to talk about our adventure at the mall," Horatio said. "I have an uneasy feeling it's going to be the lead story on the news tonight, and Tony was there. This might get interesting."

Coulson waited for the conversation to turn to another topic before he moved farther into the house to where Tony was working. He had already called Fury and made sure that the PR department at SHIELD would get a hold of any news footage of the hostage situation at the mall and edit it to the point where it wouldn't connect Horatio with Tony. That was too risky, even with all the Avengers in Miami. "Tony?"

"Hey, so Horatio told me he has a serious partner that's over in a military zone," Tony said, wrapping two wires together. "Eight months left on his tour and Horatio's worried he's not going to get home. I don't have a name or anything, but you've got access to everything, could you maybe find him and bring him home. Grab him for SHIELD or something?"

"Tony, you know we can't really interfere with the military," Coulson said. 

"It wouldn't be interfering, it'd be reassignment," Tony pointed out. "Come on, Phil, he almost lost Clint and he's worried about his partner. There has to be something legal that you can do to help out here."

"Let me look into it," Coulson said. "I'm making no promises here, Tony. It's possible the man wants to finish out his tour and would see leaving in the middle as abandoning his post. I can't imagine Horatio dating anyone that didn't have a lot of personal honor."

"Yeah, I can't either, especially after seeing him in action today," Tony said. "All right, JARVIS, are you in there, buddy?"

"I am, Sir," JARVIS replied. "I am bringing the sensors up on line and connecting to the security systems Lieutenant Caine already has in place for his home. Install will be complete within the hour."

Tony smiled. "Awesome," he said. "I'll let the two of you hash out what role you're going to have here, J, but you stick to the protocols for the other houses, okay? We need to keep everyone safe here."

"I shall speak at length with Lieutenant Caine tomorrow and see what roles he wishes me to perform for him," JARVIS said.

"That's that," Tony said. "Okay, Agent, let's go see what sort of trouble the others are getting into outside."


	19. Chapter 19

"Phil, where are you going?" Barton asked when the team was leaving for the night.

"Back to the hotel with the team," Coulson replied. 

"Aren't you going to stay here?"

"Clint, there's some things you don't remember that we need to talk about," Coulson said. "Until we do, I don't know if us sharing a room is such a good idea. I'd planned to keep the team in line at the hotel."

Horatio rested a hand on Barton's shoulder. "You're welcome to stay here if you want, Phil," he said. "It would give the two of you a chance to speak privately."

"I can handle the team, Coulson," Natasha said. "You stay with Clint. He needs you more than we do right now."

"You sure?" Coulson asked.

"If I catch Tony doing anything he's not supposed to, I'll tie him up and shove him in a closet," Natasha said, eyes fixed on Tony, "then take away all of his tech so he can't call for help and leave him there."

"Creative," Barton muttered. "Nat, you know that Tony's going to attract attention no matter where he goes. As long as he's not blowing things up, getting drunk in bars, or doing science where he shouldn't, just ignore him. He knows the rules."

"I follow them too, mostly," Tony said. "You need to be here, Agent. We'll be fine. You can taze me tomorrow if I do anything wrong."

Coulson finally smiled. "I'll hold you to that. Cap, Natasha, I'll leave the team to you," he said. "All right, Horatio, where are you putting us?"

"Come on, I'll show you to the guest room and you guys can get settled in," Horatio said. "Will you be able to handle moving Clint on your own or do you need help with that?"

"I can manage, but thank you. I've had far too much practice," Coulson said. "Thanks for letting us come to stay with you, Horatio. I think the sun and having his family around him will help Clint heal more than being stuck in medical ever would."

"Clint can hear you," Barton pointed out dryly.

"I know you can," Coulson said. 

"Here's the guest room, the bathroom is attached and everything you should need is in there," Horatio said. "Let me know if you need anything else. I'm going to clean up the kitchen and turn in as well. From what I understand, we have JARVIS watching over the house now."

"You do, Sir," JARVIS said. "We'll have to speak tomorrow to work out what my role here shall be, but I do have a protocol in place for protecting Mr. Stark's private residences, which I will follow here as well."

"Sounds good," Horatio said. "Clint, Phil, you two have a good night and I'll see you in the morning."

Barton waited until he heard the door shut and then turned in the direction he could sense Coulson's gaze from. "All right, you want to start this talk we have to have, Phil?" he asked.

"Clint, I'm the reason you currently blind in a wheelchair," Coulson said. He sat down on the bed. "I'm going to hold your hands. I'm the reason you almost died and have six months to a year of physical therapy to get back in the field."

"I'm totally lost. I thought it was Hill and some jerk from the labs," Barton said.

"They were feeding me the false missions, but I'm the one who took you out into the field and into the dangerous positions," Coulson said. "I keep waiting for you to realize that I almost killed you, Clint."

"Hey, come on, look at me, Phil," Barton said.

"How do you know I'm not?"

"I know what it feels like when you're looking at me, you know. That's better. Phil, you're as much of a victim in their plot as I am," Barton said. "Yeah, you took me out into the field, but you thought they were legitimate assignments from Fury. They sure seemed like it when you were giving me the rundown in transit. This is Loki all over again, only this time you were mind-controlled and I landed in medical."

Coulson actually laughed. "I hadn't even thought of it like that," he said.

"That's how I've been thinking about it because that's what it is," Barton said. "You're stuck with me, Phil. I came back for you and for Pop. Nat too, but don't ever tell her she's third on my list. I think I'd be in a world of hurt. We're both down here in Miami to heal, Phil. I know you'll be with me every step of the way because that's where you belong."

"I don't know if I can let go of this in a day, Clint."

"You don't have to, just don't beat yourself up every time you look at me. This isn't because of you, this is because someone decided to take over your mind and use you, Phil," Barton said. "Now, if that's cleared up, I want a bath. I'm not steady enough to be on my own, so I guess you'll just have to come in with me."

"Subtle has never been your forte, Clint."

Barton grinned. "Nope," he agreed.


	20. Chapter 20

"Clint, do you know who Horatio's dating?" Coulson asked once they were in the large tub together. The doctors had given Clint permission to bathe and swim as long as Horatio or Coulson kept an eye on the still-healing surgical sites for infection.

"Do you mean Grant?" Barton said. 

"I don't know, is Grant military and on deployment?"

"Pop hasn't mentioned him recently, so yeah, probably," Barton said. "I think he's getting close to retirement age, this might be his last deploy."

Coulson nodded. "They've been together a while then?"

"They've been partners since before Pop took me in, so yeah, you could say that," Barton said. "Why the interest?"

"Tony asked me to see if I could find Horatio's partner and bring him home," Coulson said. "I'm not sure why, but I think Tony really likes Horatio and this is a way of trying to help him out. I thought I'd talk to you before I started digging in any military databases."

Barton laughed. "Probably a good idea," he said. "Grant's Army, I'm not sure what his rank is now, but he's up there. Not a general, but that's just because he doesn't want to risk being posted to D.C. and away from Horatio. He went in right out of college and worked his way up the ranks. He's a good man."

"He'd have to be to be with Horatio," Coulson said. "Given the personal code of honor Horatio has. Do you think that Grant would take a re-posting stateside if we grabbed him for some sort of post with SHIELD?"

"He might, but it depends on what all is going on at his posting. I can't imagine he'd leave his men if they were in danger," Barton said. "You're thinking about an eyes posting down here. Well, we do need someone keeping an eye on Miami and the rest of southern Florida for weird things and Grant would be good at that, especially if he could liaise with the police department."

"What's his specialty?"

"People, just like Horatio," Barton said. "He's the one that taught me to play basketball. I thought I'd mentioned him before."

"Not that I'm remembering, but it's possible my memories are still confused from the drugs," Coulson said. 

"I doubt that, I'm probably just not remembering who I talked to. Must have been Nat. Grant was posted here training when Horatio brought me home," Barton said. "They both worked hard to give me as normal a teenagehood as possible, but after things I'd seen and had happen to me, it wasn't always easy going. I do think Grant's the reason I drifted more towards military as I got older. SHIELD is heaven. Military enough that he's proud of me following his footsteps, but loose enough that I know I can question orders if I need to."

Coulson kissed Barton's cheek. "That's just us," he said softly. "Do you have a way to get in touch with Grant? I'd like to surprise Horatio if possible. That means no telling him, JARVIS."

"Of course not, Agent Coulson," JARVIS said. "If I might offer my services. I could locate Grant and his contact information for you."

"Probably a good idea, because I don't have it," Barton said. "I usually call Pop if I need to talk."

"That'd be a help, JARVIS, thank you," Coulson said. "If I have to travel over to talk with him, Clint, will you be okay here with Horatio and the team?"

"Of course," Barton said. "Thanks for doing this for Pop, Phil. I'll thank Tony tomorrow. Horatio deserves something nice to happen to him. Bringing Grant home to stay would be awesome."

"That's if he wants to come, Clint. I'm not going to physically remove him from his posting if he doesn't want to come."

"Yeah, I know, but I think he probably does," Barton said. "I'd be surprised if he doesn't miss Pop."

Coulson kissed Barton again. "Me too."


	21. Chapter 21

"Good afternoon, Frank," Horatio said when the detective came around the house.

"Hey, I overheard Delko bitching about Clint, the mystery man, being back in town, so I figured I'd drop by and say hello," Frank said. "Looks like you been through a war there, Clint. How you doing?"

Barton turned his head towards the voice. "I've been worse, Frank," he said with a smile. "Did I ever introduce you to my partner, Phil Coulson?"

"Nope, don't think I've had the pleasure," Frank said. "Nice to meet you, Agent Coulson."

"Detective Tripp," Coulson said. "I've heard a bit about you from Clint. Please, join us."

"Frank, do I want to know what all Eric was saying?" Horatio asked. "Is it a problem I need to address?"

The larger man sat down at the table with Horatio. "Hell, Horatio, I'm not sure what's going on with him," Frank sighed. "Not a word about your stupid rescue stunt at the toy store yesterday, but talking about Clint and some guy named Tony. Eric's got a problem, but I'm not sure exactly what it is."

"Did I hear someone taking my name in vain?" Tony asked, appearing out of the house. "Agent, you're needed on the phone. Horatio, that's the last speaker installed. Do you mind if we lay out on the beach and take the sun? Birdy here could even go swimming with us."

"Caw caw," Barton said dryly.

"Horatio, do you have that new group, what're they called, the Avengers in your house?" Frank asked.

"Clint's a member of the team and they wanted to come with him," Horatio replied with a fond smile. "Tony has been kind enough to upgrade my security system and the others are watching a movie. To answer your question, Tony, by all means use the beach. Clint, do you want to go swim?"

"Not right now, I'm comfortable," Barton said.

"All right, just let me know," Horatio said. "Frank, as to Eric, he developed a crush on me and I turned him down as gently as I could yesterday before I had to go and deal with the situation in the toy store. I would be surprised if he didn't feel some bitterness and anger towards me right now, but I don't like him talking about Clint and Tony so freely. I'll have to talk with Eric again."

Frank snorted. "You should probably tell him about Grant, you know," he said. "If you guys would just wear the damn rings you exchanged, none of this woulda happened."

"You know how stubborn Pop is, Frank," Barton said. "Phil, just a heads up, the team is going swimming."

"I knew I should have borrowed that force field from Fury," Coulson said as he sat back down. "Horatio, would it be possible for me to get a ride out to the airport later tonight? I need to pick someone up."

"I can make the arrangements," Horatio said. "I don't want to leave Clint here alone."

"We'll stay with him," Steve said, pausing next to the table. "I'll keep Tony in line."

"Like to see you try, Capcicle," Tony called from down by the water.

"Thanks, Steve, that would help," Coulson said. "Clint, that okay with you?"

"Sure, no problem."

"Clint, what the hell did happen to you?" Frank asked. 

Barton shrugged. "I had a building come down on top of me when I was on an op," he said. "I'm recovering in the sun, thanks to Pop. Normally they'd have me locked away where I couldn't annoy the nurses and race down the halls in my wheelchair."

"He would, too," Coulson said. "I've seen him do it."

"Pop, why don't you invite Eric over for supper tonight?" Barton asked. "Give him a chance to talk to you and the team can keep him entertained enough that maybe he won't feel so rejected."

"I'll think about it," Horatio replied. "Frank, could I offer you some lunch?"

"Nah, I gotta get back to work. Just wanted to stop in and see Clint," Frank said. "Want me to call if Eric don't calm down, Horatio?"

"Please," Horatio said. "Be safe, Frank."


	22. Chapter 22

In the end, Horatio called Calleigh and asked both her and Eric to dinner, asking that she drag Eric over if the younger man didn't want to come. He knew it wasn't really fair of him, but the last thing Horatio wanted was a member of his family in danger because they were talking about the wrong person at the wrong time. Horatio also didn't want to risk Clint while his son was blind. He knew that Clint would fight, and hurt himself worse, if the house were to come under attack, and that was the last thing Horatio wanted.

"Are you okay with me telling Eric and Calleigh about our relationship, Clint," Horatio asked once the arrangements for the night were made. Phil and Tony had vanished somewhere together, probably out to the airport, but Horatio wasn't about to ask what that was all about.

"Sure, it doesn't bother me," Barton replied with a grin. "The only reason I don't talk about you around SHIELD is there are too many baddies out there that could use you to try and get to me. I know you're a fighter, Pop, but I don't want to risk you."

"I know," Horatio said. "I just wanted to make sure that I wasn't going to be telling things you didn't want told."

"Nope, it's all fine with me," Barton said. "Maybe don't mention that I'm temporarily blind. I can fake it well enough, and I don't want strangers knowing I'm compromised right now. I know they're your family, but it just makes me nervous."

"Easy enough," Horatio said with a nod. "I'll leave it up to you for what you want to talk about for your injuries. There's a Hummer, that's probably them. They're early."

Barton grinned. "I'm sure that Eric's just chomping at the bit to get over here," he said.

"I don't remember you being nearly this sarcastic growing up," Horatio said fondly. "Hello Calleigh, Eric, thanks for coming over."

"Thanks for inviting us," Calleigh said. "Hey Clint, looks like you've been through a war zone. How're you doing?"

"I'm holding my own, Calleigh," Barton replied with a grin. "How have you been?"

Calleigh laughed and sat down at the table next to Horatio. "I've been good," she said. "So I'm guessing you're here for more than a couple of days this time around. When you're feeling better, would you be willing to talk with me about the bow? We had two other cases come up where that was the weapon involved and my research didn't cover nearly as much as I thought it should."

"Sure," Barton said. "Hey Eric, how are you doing?"

"Fine," Eric said. He sat down on the other bench. "What's going on, Horatio?"

"I found out that there's some potentially dangerous conversations happening at the lab and I wanted to make sure that they stop before anyone is hurt," Horatio said. "Clint, Tony and the others who are here are all part of a group known as the Avengers and there are a lot of insane people who want to hurt them, or anyone who is seen to have a link to them. I don't want anyone at the lab talking about them because it's impossible to know who is listening. I don't want my family hurt, guys. I'm not there to keep an eye on things right now, so you have to be extra careful for me, okay?"

"Yeah, sure, no problem," Eric said. "Does this mean we get to find out who Clint is?"

Barton grinned. "I'm just a guy who is good with his eyes and a bow," he said.

"You're a sniper?" Calleigh asked, putting it together.

"Yep, one of the best in the world. Bow is just my preferred weapon, I can shoot any gun you put in my hands if you give me ten minutes to break it down and learn the quirks," Barton replied. "It's why Pop had me come in on that case with the bow shooting. I know bows better than anyone in his circle."

"Pop?" Calleigh asked.

Horatio ducked his head. "You're too smart for me, Calleigh," he said with a grin. "Clint lived with me from the time when he was fifteen until you were, what, twenty?"

"Sounds about right. SHIELD wouldn't take me until I was twenty-one, but Nick let me into basic because my birthday would be close on to when I finished that up," Barton said. "Pop showed me what a nice, normal household was like, helped me get my GED and get back on track to do good in the world. It's always been secret because of the work I do."

"Frank knows because we were working together during that time, but he's the only one at the lab that does," Horatio said. "When Clint was injured in the field, his boss called me because they didn't know if he would wake up again. He also wanted some outside help in tracking down a problem in his bureau, which is where I vanished to so suddenly. There was no way I would leave my son in the hospital alone for any reason."

"Coulson's back," Natasha commented, coming out of the house.

"Which means dinner as well," Horatio said. "Eric, Calleigh, I'm sorry I didn't tell you any of this before, but there are things that are classified at the highest level and I wasn't sure exactly what I could talk about."

"Oh, it's fine, Horatio," Calleigh said with a fond smile. "We trust you. Horatio, are you okay?"

Horatio's face had gone pale and he stood up quickly enough to knock the bench back a little. "Grant?" he whispered. "How?"

"Agent Coulson made me an offer, Horatio," Grant replied. "No more deploys."

Eric and Calleigh looked at each other and back at the man in the doorway. He was slightly taller than Horatio, blond hair going gray at the temples, and blue eyes. He was tan and dressed in desert camouflage. Horatio ignored everyone else, almost running across the deck to pull Grant into a tight hug. "No more deploys?" he whispered.

"No more," Grant said. He rested his chin on Horatio's shoulder and held him tightly. "I'm home for good, Horatio."


	23. Chapter 23

"Nice one," Barton said softly when Coulson sat down next to him. "He's one of ours now?"

"Fury's office is making the final arrangements," Coulson replied.

Horatio pulled back enough to look up into Grant's eyes. "How are you home early?" he asked. "You have another eight months on your tour. I don't understand how this happened."

"I've accepted a transfer into SHIELD," Grant said. "They pulled me out, my team was on guard duty, nothing dangerous or I wouldn't have left them there, flew me home and I'll be doing the paperwork in a couple of days. Station is here in Miami with no away postings."

"I feel like I'm dreaming," Horatio said. He moved back in and hugged Grant again. "I just can't believe you're home safely."

"I'm here and I'm not leaving again," Grant said. "Clint, they filled me in, son. How are you holding up?"

Barton looked over with a smile. "I've been worse, Sir," he said. "For having a building come down on top of me like it did, I'm in good shape. Phil's taking care of me when Pop can't."

"Come on, let's sit down, Horatio," Grant said. The pair broke apart and moved back to the table, hands laced together. "A building came down on you, Clint? It sounds to me like you were in a place you shouldn't have been. How high is the classification on this one?"

"Extreme," Coulson said. "There's a lot of issues with this op, none of which we can talk about away from our base. I'm sure you understand that."

"Sure do. So, this must be Calleigh," Grant said, turning his attention to the others at the table. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Horatio's spoken very highly of you and your skills."

Calleigh flushed a little. "I do my best," she said. "I'm sorry, but Horatio's never mentioned you before."

"You know how closely I guard my private life," Horatio said. "Eric, Calleigh, this is Colonel Grant Zachary of the US Army. We've been together for thirty-three years now. He helped raise Clint and has been posted over in Iraq for the past sixteen months."

"How did we not know about this, H?" Eric asked.

"Until recently, it was dangerous for Grant to be known to be gay while he was on active duty," Horatio said. "We're not ashamed of our relationship, we love each other, but we had to weigh danger against exposure, and danger won out. Now that he's home and with SHIELD though, maybe things can change a little."

Grant grinned. "Agent Coulson was telling me that SHIELD doesn't care who their operatives sleep with, just as long as they're human or proper protection is taken in case of aliens," he said. "I wish I could tell if he was joking."

"He's not," Barton said. "I'll have to find out your clearance level and then tell you some appropriate stories. Do I smell dinner?"

"You do," Tony said, appearing out of the house. "Steve's bringing it out. Eric, Calleigh, what can we get you to drink?"

"Coke is fine for me," Calleigh said with a smile. "You know, Tony, the cameras just don't do you justice."

"I know, it's something I've been working on," Tony replied. "No, seriously, thank you, Calleigh. That's very sweet of you to say. Coke it is. Eric, do you need something stronger? You're looking sort of pale."

Eric pushed back. "I'm going for a walk," he said.

"Something we said?" Tony asked.

"Horatio?" Grant said softly.

"Eric is probably feeling very embarrassed and hurt right now," Horatio said. "Let me go talk with him. I want to make sure he's going to be okay."


	24. Chapter 24

"Eric?" Horatio asked softly, coming up behind the younger man.

"You could have just told me," Eric replied. "You didn't have to lie to me and say that I'm not your type or that it wouldn't work out between us, Horatio. I was thinking that there was something wrong with me, and the whole time it's because you're already seeing someone."

Horatio sighed and looked out at the ocean. "Eric, I couldn't have told you the truth because Grant was still over in a war zone and I couldn't risk him," he said. "You know how many enemies I have here in Miami. I never know if there's someone spying on me or not when I'm out in public, and talking about Grant there could have signed his death warrant. I didn't lie, Eric. I just tried to do the best I could, and if it wasn't enough, then I'm sorry. I had no clue that Phil was working to bring Grant home, that he would arrive tonight. I wanted to have you over so you could meet Clint officially and I could tell you who he is to me."

"It seems like there's a lot that you're not telling us, Horatio," Eric exclaimed. "How many other secrets do you have buried?"

"More than you would think," Horatio said. "My personal life is my concern, Eric. Nothing you've learned here tonight has any impact on our work, or what we're doing at the lab. I didn't have to tell you the truth about Clint, but I wanted to because you're my friend. Nothing I'm keeping secret will cause you harm, Eric. Bringing it into the daylight would only hurt me."

"Friends help each other, Horatio. Isn't that what you're always telling us at the lab? To help and trust each other because it will make our work a little easier to bear?" Eric asked. "It seems to me that you're not taking your own advice and that makes me wonder if you really believe what you're telling us."

"Eric, how would you feel if something you held close to your chest, a secret so precious to you that letting anyone else know about it would cause you physical pain, how would you feel if it came to light?" Horatio asked. "To suddenly have everyone know that secret? How would that make you feel?"

"I don't know. I've never had a secret like that before."

"Then you are very lucky," Horatio said. "Eric, I'm sorry for causing you so much pain, but there was no other way for any of this to happen. Come back to the deck when you're ready to talk, okay?"

Horatio made his way back along the beach, not even flinching when Natasha appeared. "You okay?" she asked softly.

"I wish there was something I could do to help him," Horatio replied just as softly.

"I'll talk with him," Natasha said. "I've read his file, he's part-Russian, yes?"

"Yeah."

"Then we can talk and no one but Clint and Coulson would understand," she said. 

"Thank you," Horatio said. He climbed back up the stairs and onto the deck. Dinner from one of the better restaurants in Miami was spread out on the table. He smiled, knowing that was Tony's doing, and went to sit next to Grant at the table. "Quite the welcome home feast."

Grant looked over. "Eric going to be okay?"

"I don't know. I'll fill you in tonight."

"Okay," Grant said. "We're just going to enjoy having our friends and family around us tonight, then?"

"That sounds like a plan," Horatio said with a smile.


	25. Chapter 25

"Fill me in," Grant said when he and Horatio were finally alone that night. Barton and Coulson had gone to bed about an hour before, and the rest of the Avengers, Calleigh and Eric had all headed out to let Barton rest. "What's going on?"

"Too much," Horatio sighed. "Eric has developed feelings for me and I didn't notice until Clint pointed it out to me. For some reason, probably because of how Clint and I interact, Eric fixed on the idea that we were dating and that led to him disliking Clint without even talking with him. I tried to let Eric down gently, but because I didn't tell him the truth about you, I probably did more harm."

Grant wrapped an arm around Horatio's shoulder. "From what you've told me in the past, Eric always dates women," he said. "Any idea what caused the shift over to you?"

"No, and that's something I've been wondering about," Horatio admitted. "Even if I didn't have you in my life, Grant, nothing would happen with Eric. I see him as a younger brother and there has never been any sort of romantic feelings there. I just wish I hadn't hurt him."

"I saw him talking with Natasha out on the beach. Any idea what was said?"

"No, but Clint wouldn't have let it happen if Natasha was going to hurt Eric. I think she might have been the best one to talk with him, actually. They have a shared cultural history and, for all she doesn't talk a lot, she means every word she says," Horatio said. "I know we can't help how we feel, but I want to help Eric find someone to love so he can move on, but I don't know how to even bring the idea up."

"I think letting the girls handle this is probably your best plan. I can't imagine what all Eric is feeling right now, because I've never been there personally, but there's been a couple of men in my unit who have," Grant said. "They found it easier to talk with female friends than male friends, for some reason. Eric's got support, he'll be okay in the long run. It might take a while, but he'll move forward again."

Horatio sighed and leaned in closer. "Everything just sort of piled up on me," he admitted. "I knew that Eric didn't like Clint, but didn't know why. I should have asked once the case was over and Clint was back up in New York. Maybe things wouldn't have been so bad if I'd done that much."

"What is it Sally said in Peanuts, you can ask someone why they hate you, but not why they like you?"

"Something like that, yeah," Horatio said. "I'll admit I didn't think about the lab or any of my people when Nick called me with the news that Clint was in medical. I just left. That probably didn't help matters too much either, especially as I was working the case with Eric."

"You did what any good father would do, and I would have done the same," Grant said. "I remember when you brought Clint home, how thin and sick he was. I knew, looking at that boy, he had so much potential hidden behind all the anger he was showing the world. Getting to be a father was something I never expected, but it's a treasure, Horatio. If you hadn't gone immediately, it's possible Clint, even unconscious, might have thought something else was going on, that you'd forgotten him. He hides it well, but there's still that vein of uncertainty that runs through his every decision."

"Phil and I did some checking a few years ago," Horatio said. "You were overseas at the time, and I don't think I mentioned it to you. We wanted to make sure that Clint's biological family was truly dead. Them turning up suddenly would have hurt him so badly and I didn't want to risk it."

"I'm guessing they were all dead?" Grant asked.

"Long dead, although tracking his brother was a bit harder than we anticipated," Horatio replied. "The boy enlisted but didn't survive boot camp. No one knows what happened, but he was found hanging from the rope climb early one morning. It was ruled a suicide, but both Phil and I have doubts."

"Better to let ghosts lie though."

"Which is why we only did DNA checks to verify," Horatio said. "Phil never told Clint about it, he doesn't handle news of his blood family well, but I think he knows they're all dead. He's got such good instincts."

"That he does," Grant agreed. "Now, I don't know about you, but I'm about to fall asleep on the sofa. Why don't we go to bed?"

Horatio grinned. "I need to restock the bedroom," he admitted.

"You have the time because I'm too tired to even think straight right now. Sleep now, messy sex when we're both more awake," Grant said. "Although I have to admit I'm really looking forward to it."

"Me too," Horatio said softly.


	26. Chapter 26

"Grant's out on the deck," Coulson said softly the next morning. "Want me to take you out so you can talk to him?"

"Sounds great," Barton replied with a grin. "I can't wait to get my eyes back, Phil. You're good, but it's still scary."

"I know, Clint, I know," Coulson said. "Good morning, Grant, did you sleep well?"

Grant looked around and smiled. "Better than I have in over a year," he replied. "Morning Clint, how do you feel today?"

"Sore, Sir, but that's to be expected," Barton said. "How much did Phil tell you yesterday?"

"Everything. I know about your eyes, son. You'll get better, I know you will," Grant said.

"Can I get you some more coffee, Grant?" Coulson asked. "I was going to make breakfast for Clint and myself. Would you like to join us?"

"I'd love to," Grant said. "Anything I can do to help out?"

"Keep Clint occupied while I'm cooking," Coulson said with a fond smile.

Grant laughed while Barton tried to pout. "I cleaned up the mess," Barton pointed out.

"Yes, you did, but there wasn't a reason for us to have chocolate chips and honey all over the kitchen," Coulson said. "I'll be back in a bit. Clint, call if you need anything."

"Chocolate chips and honey?" Grant asked.

"I dropped the containers," Barton replied. "I was carrying too much stuff restocking the kitchen after an op and those were both in glass bottles. I did clean it all up, even if it took most of the night and all I really wanted to be doing was sleeping. Honey isn't easy to get off slate."

"Probably not, no," Grant said. "Serious time, Clint. How bad are you?"

Barton sighed and looked down at his hands, wishing he could see them in his lap instead of picturing them. "Bad, Sir. I was on a seven story building and it blew up while I was on the roof," he said. "I don't know how much rubble they dug me out of, but I was in a coma for almost a month. The doctors tell me that some of my lesser injuries healed up while I was unconscious, but there's still a lot of bones knitting back together. Plus my eyes."

"Coulson tells me that's not going to be forever, just going to seem like it," Grant said. "We could've lost you, Clint, and that would have devastated a lot of people."

"You probably saw the news about the battle in New York against the aliens," Barton said. 

"Yeah, we watched it as best we could on the computer."

"There were some incidents leading up to that battle, and in one of them, we lost SHIELD agents," Barton said. "I was compromised and on the wrong side, and a lot of people blame me for those deaths. Including the pair that set me up to die in the field."

"They've been caught, right?"

"I helped find them," Horatio said, coming out onto the deck. "Good morning, boys. This is something I've missed seeing."

"Morning, Pop," Barton said. 

Horatio handed Grant the coffee mug he'd grabbed from Coulson and put one down near Barton. "Coffee is on the table six inches back from the edge, Clint," he said. "Grant, we found the pair that wanted Clint dead and they've already been sentenced. Our task now is to help him heal and get back in the field."

"Or at least teaching," Barton said. "I'm going to go stir crazy if they try to keep me down more than six months, no matter what." 

"You could finish your paperwork," Coulson called from the kitchen.

"I am caught up," Barton said. "Grant, I'm facing about half a year of physical therapy before they'll even think about clearing me for desk work. I think my reassess is set for middle of next month, when my eyes are better."

"It sounds to me like SHIELD is taking care of you," Grant said.

"Incoming," Coulson warned from the kitchen.

Tony and the other Avengers came out onto the porch in a group. "Good morning, everyone," Tony said with a smile. "Hawkeye, today we're getting you down onto the sand with us, no question. We're spending the day on the beach as a team, which means you and Agent both have to join us. Horatio, you and Grant are both welcome to join in too."

"I think we'll watch from the deck, Tony, but thank you," Horatio said with a smile.


	27. Chapter 27

Horatio was watching some sort of a sand castle building competition from the deck when JARVIS broke in. "Lieutenant Caine, Sir, Director Fury is at the door."

"Could you send him around the side of the house, JARVIS?" Horatio asked.

"Of course, Sir."

Grant looked over from the book he was reading. "I don't know if I'll ever get used to having an AI for a butler in the house, Horatio."

"I can't think of a better security system for the house though," Horatio said with a smile. "Nick, good to see you. What brings you down to Miami?"

Fury climbed up onto the deck and put a stack of papers down on the table. "My office finished up all the paperwork for my newest asset and I wanted a chance to meet him," Fury said. "I'm also checking to make sure the Avengers haven't destroyed the city yet."

"We've been good," Tony called. He yelped when Natasha poured a bucket of water over his head, but didn't move. "Mostly."

"The sun is being good for them, Director," Coulson said, appearing out of the house. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to meet your plane. If you had notified me you were coming down, I could have made the proper arrangements."

"Which is exactly why I didn't," Fury said. He sat down at the table and looked out towards the Avengers, all of them playing in the sand, even Barton. The archer had teamed up with Natasha and they were building something no one could figure out. "I didn't want anyone hiding from me, but I won't name any names. Horatio, I also wanted to talk to you."

"Whatever you need, Nick," Horatio said. 

Coulson bit back a sigh. "Director Nick Fury, this is Grant Zachary, formerly of the US Army and now a member of SHIELD," he said. "Grant, Director Fury."

Grant stood and saluted. "Pleasure to meet you officially, Sir," he said. "Thank you for giving me the chance to come home to be with my family. I appreciate it."

"At ease," Fury said with a small smile. "You can give all the folders to Coulson and he'll get them routed back to their proper places. I just wanted to meet you and see for myself exactly who is going to be our eyes in South Florida. Also, unofficially, I wanted to meet Barton's other father."

"We did our best with him," Grant said. He sat down next to Horatio with a fond smile. "Skinny as a nail when Horatio brought him home, soaked to the bone and needed a haircut. Clint turned into one of the best men I know."

"You helped with that process, Sir," Barton called from the sand.

"I think you chose well, Phil," Fury said. "Now then, Horatio. I know how busy you are and that you have a lab to run, but this most recent problem in SHIELD has led me to believe that I need a team of CSIs to investigate cases. I was hoping I might convince you to leave the lab and spearhead the new department. You wouldn't have to leave Miami, I'm not even going to try that, but I need someone I can trust to do this, and you're a good pick."

Horatio blinked a few times. "Nick, I don't know what to say," he finally managed.

"At least say you'll think about it," Fury said.

"Of course, how could I not?" Horatio asked. "Can I let you know in a week?"

"That will work. Talk things over with Coulson, he and I have been planning this together," Fury replied. "Now then, I don't know about everyone else, but I'm hungry. How about I spring for lunch?"


	28. Chapter 28

"Horatio, do you want to take a short walk?" Coulson asked later in the day. The Avengers were back to their sand castles, or whatever they were working on, and Fury was talking with Grant about a few things. "We could talk."

"I'd like that, Phil," Horatio said. "I'll be back in a bit, guys."

"I'll hold down the fort," Grant said with a smile.

The pair made their way down onto the sand and headed away from the house. "I'll admit that this has taken me completely by surprise," Horatio said softly. "I had no idea that Nick was thinking about asking me to come and work for SHIELD. Is it a full-time position, or would it be as a consultant until the department is up and running?"

"Full-time, we need to know that the agent running the department is experienced and can also handle politics," Coulson said. "Truthfully, Horatio, I can't think of a better man to come and run a department at SHIELD. I know you have your lab and your family there, but there would be time for you to consult for them if needed. We're not trying to take you away from your life here. We're asking you to come help keep the world as safe as you keep Miami."

Horatio sighed. "If I could keep Miami safe, Phil, people wouldn't be dying on the streets and in their homes every day," he said. "I do my best, but it seems like the criminals are always a few steps ahead of us."

"You're not unrealistic in your goals either," Coulson pointed out. "This is something that Nick only just decided we need to add in, so there's a number of details that still need to be worked out. Having you on board would help a lot, Horatio. I'm not trying to pressure you into saying yes, but I'll admit I'm hoping you do."

"I want to," Horatio admitted. "The chance to set up and run a new department, it's a challenge I would welcome. I'd be able to train people to my standard, which isn't always how I get them from the universities, and I would get to work more closely with Grant. To keep the world safe, Phil. It's a daunting thought."

"It is, and I know exactly how you feel," Coulson said. "Nick and I have been working towards that goal for more years than I want to count. We're close, but we're still learning because there are so many different types of threats out there. I don't know if we'll ever be able to completely manage it."

"Complete and total safety would mean the elimination of the human race as we know it," Horatio pointed out. He sat down on the sand and looked out towards the water. "As long as we have humans, we will have violence. Adding in the more super beings and aliens, that's a new variable that can't be calculated, no matter how hard we try."

"You already sound like a SHIELD agent," Coulson said with a smile. He sat down next to Horatio. "Look, talk with Grant. See if this meets what you both want from life right now. I know he took his posting without checking with you, but it was bringing him home so he didn't think you would mind. The danger level for you both is low. The CSI group is more for internal investigations and low-level crime scene investigation. You won't be going into combat situations. Not if Nick and I have anything to say about it."

Horatio nodded. "Grant and I have always agreed that doing what's best for us has to come first," he said. "It's why I supported his choice to go into the military and serve our country. I think that being able to work together to keep people safe, it wouldn't put a strain on our relationship. I'll talk with him, but I think I know what he's going to say."

"It's because the two of you are so alike," Coulson said. 

"We are, aren't we?" Horatio asked with a small smile. "There are days I wonder if Clint takes more after me or Grant."

"I'd say it's a mix, but he definitely was able to find a huge heart to care for people," Coulson said. "It's a big decision, Horatio, and one you don't have to make right now. Take the night, hell, take the week and think about it. Nick's not going to look for someone else until you tell him no, so you have some time. Talk with your family and see what they have to say."

"I'll do that," Horatio said. "I'm glad you guys were able to come down for a while, Phil. I wish it was under better circumstances, but I'm glad you're all here."

"We are too, Horatio. I think the Avengers are going to be closer than ever by the time we all head home again. Thanks for opening your home to us all. We really do appreciate it."

Horatio smiled. "It's my pleasure," he said.


	29. Chapter 29

"Where's Horatio?" Natasha asked, appearing on the deck later in the week. The group had taken to hanging out and keeping Barton busy so he wouldn't have time to mope about his eyes. "For that matter, where's Coulson?"

"They're at the lab talking with the Chief and directors," Grant replied. "Given the nature of the meeting, it could take all day."

"So he's joining us then?" Natasha sat down at the table, putting the large paper cup she'd been carrying down in front of Barton. "Chocolate milkshake with cherry sauce six inches in, Clint. Spoon is in and the lid is off."

Barton grinned. "Thanks, Tasha, I'm just not hungry today," he said. "This is about all I think I can stomach."

"Do we need to take you back to medical?" Natasha asked.

"Nah, I'm fine, just a little off today," Barton replied. "You know I'd tell Pop or Grant if I wasn't feeling good."

"I'm curious, Clint, why do you call Horatio Pop and Grant by his first name?" Tony asked, flopping down into one of the chairs. "I mean, they're both fathers for you."

"I just never did with Grant and he wouldn't force me to," Barton said. "You'll notice I call him Sir quite a bit. That's about as close as I ever came."

Grant looked over from the binder he was reading in. "Horatio and Clint have a closer relationship," he said. "I helped raise him, yes, but I was working in the local recruiting office at the time and it forced me to keep long hours, longer than I needed to be working with a teenager in the house, honestly."

"At least you weren't deployed, Sir," Barton said. "I hear Pop."

"It's good to know your ears haven't been injured, Birdman," Tony said with a grin.

"Welcome home guys," Grant said. He kissed Horatio when the red head sat down next to him. "How'd it go?"

"Better than I was hoping it would," Horatio sighed. "They're not happy about me leaving, even for a step like this, but they agreed to let me use the lab to train my new agents until we can get something set up locally. Something about the prestige of the government contract won them over."

Coulson snorted. "Truthfully, were we farther north, we'd be in the FBI labs," he said. "Your labs are good, Horatio, but they have some tech that hasn't been released to state and city crime labs."

"Then I sense a lot of training for myself as well," Horatio said. "Tony, I wanted to ask you if you would come down to the lab tomorrow and look at things with me. I know how creative you can be with technology. I'd like to adapt some existing machines to detect the more super elements we'll be working with."

"Sure, absolutely, field trip," Tony said. "I'm always up for a new challenge, Horatio. I'd be happy to work with you on these machines. Maybe I can even get a patent or two out of it and put them into other labs."

"They will under no circumstance have JARVIS installed in them Stark," Coulson said.

"Agent, you wound me," Tony said.

Barton started laughing. "The truth hurts, Iron Man," he said. "Get used to it."

"All right, just for that, I'm not taking you swimming like we planned, Clint," Tony said. "I'm going to go and start working on specs for the new gear for Horatio."

"Yeah, yeah, we'll drag you out for supper," Barton said.

Horatio tried not to smile, but he couldn't help it. The more time he spent around the Avengers team, the more he could see how close they were as a family. He was also getting very good at reading beneath the masks they all wore, and he could tell that Tony was acting put upon, but he was enjoying the banter. If he had some ideas for lab equipment, all the better. Trying to run a CSI department in SHIELD was going to be an interesting challenge, Horatio could already tell.


	30. Chapter 30

Eric was walking from DNA towards trace when he caught sight of a familiar red head in the trace lab. "Hey H, I didn't think you'd be back so soon," he said. "What's going on?"

"Tony and I are discussing some possible equipment," Horatio replied absently. "Tony, I don't think the GCMS can be adapted to check for super elements."

"Never say can't," Tony said. "JARVIS, order one of these and have it delivered to the Tower for me. I want to see what the inside looks like and I can't take this one apart. The microscopes are easy, Horatio, we just have to allow for greater magnification for certain things and you'll be set there. DNA is going to be the hard one. I don't know what we can do about that just now, but I'll think about it."

"I'm less worried about DNA at this point than I am trace materials," Horatio said. "For instance, the slime creature you told me about last night. What sort of trace does it leave behind?"

"Slime, Sir," JARVIS said.

Eric jumped and looked around. "Okay, who was that?" 

"On the table, Sir," JARVIS said. "How may I be of assistance today?"

"JARVIS is an AI, Eric," Horatio said. "What sort of slime did it leave, JARVIS? Corrosive? Inflammable? I want to be sure that I can answer questions like this, especially if I'm having to face Nick about something."

"You have a good point, Lieutenant," JARVIS said. "I shall see about the possibility of compiling an index of mutant slime for you."

Horatio looked over at Tony. "You didn't program in sarcasm, did you?" he asked.

"Nope, J learned that one all on his own," Tony replied. "Eric, you might want to close your mouth there. I don't think there's anything flying around in here, but if there is, it'll probably aim for your mouth.

"Sir, Agent Coulson is calling to assemble on the beach," JARVIS interjected. "There is a sea monster attacking."

"Sea monster is new," Tony said. "See you later, Horatio."

"Be safe," Horatio said. "Eric, what's wrong?"

"I'm just not sure how to handle everything I've found out," Eric said. "First Clint, then Grant, now Tony and an AI? What the hell are you mixed up in, Horatio?"

"Nothing I can't handle," Horatio said. "Eric, I appreciate the concern, but you will notice that I didn't go running out of here after Tony. They're the experts on monsters, aliens, and super-beings. I just want to keep people as safe as we can."

"Calleigh says you're leaving us."

"I am, in a way. I've been picked by the government to lead a new type of CSI department," Horatio said. "JARVIS, here's the spec readout on the microscopes. Eric, I'll still be working with the lab, but I'm no longer going to be an employee here."

Eric moved and leaned over the table. "So you can't even look at me now?" he demanded. "You're just going to run away and never talk to me again?"

"I'm trying to find a spec binder," Horatio said. "There's a lot to do to set this project up, Eric. I wasn't going to run, I planned to talk with you later in the week when I have more time available so I can give you the attention you deserve from me."

"Will Grant and the others be there again?"

"I hadn't planned on it, no," Horatio said. "If you feel better with others around though, you just have to ask. You're family, Eric, but right now isn't, found it, isn't really a good time for me to talk."

"I guess this is the other side of Horatio Caine," Eric said. "The one that no one knows about. The side that doesn't care who he hurts as long as he gets the job done."

Horatio stood up and put a binder on the table. "You're out of line, Eric," he said softly. "You leave now and no more will ever be said about this."

"If I don't?"

"Then all those years will be wasted," Horatio said. "JARVIS, here's the GCMS basic spec binder. The supplier number is in here so we can get one for Tony. There have been many days I've wished for that sort of money."

"It comes at cost, Sir," JARVIS said.

"Yeah, I imagine it does," Horatio said softly, watching Eric storm away.


	31. Chapter 31

Horatio, Grant and Barton had supper alone that night while watching the news. "Wish I could see what the sea monster looks like," Barton commented with a sigh. "I've always wanted to see one and now I'm totally missing the chance."

"It's large, green and slimy," Horatio replied. "It also really seems to hate Iron Man for some reason."

"Tony's probably got his sonic relays going," Barton said. "Those things, if you don't have your earplugs in, they can really give you one hell of a headache. Okay, that was Thor there. I recognize the crack of his lightning. Did he score a hit?"

"He did, but it didn't seem to do any good," Grant said. "I wonder if this isn't a distraction for something else."

"Calleigh has the lab standing by just in case," Horatio said. "I'm on call, so I might have to go out and help should things grow to be too big."

Barton turned towards Horatio. "That reminds me, Pop, how's Eric taking all this?" he asked. "JARVIS mentioned you ran into him at the lab today."

"He's not happy with anything right now," Horatio sighed. "I was too focused on finding the spec binders and wasn't able to give him my full attention. I don't know, Clint, it might be too late to repair anything with Eric. Not talking with him back when you first told me how he feels, I think that was my mistake, but I couldn't risk Grant. I should be used to impossible situations, but I'll admit I panicked and made the wrong choices."

Grant wrapped an arm around Horatio. "I think he'll come around if you give him time, Horatio," he said. "You two have been friends a long time and as hard as it'll be for him to understand why you were keeping secrets, I think he's thinking about it. Did you ever push him to tell you anything personal that didn't relate directly back to work? I know there's been times when his personal life intersected with a case."

"No. In fact, I've overlooked a few problems when work and personal became entangled for him," Horatio said. "I'm not sure if he's remembering those times or not. I guess it's just hard for him to have developed personal feelings for me and then have to deal with the fact that I have a whole hidden life he's known nothing about and isn't involved in. I've always guarded my personal life closely so I'm not sure I understand how this is such a problem all of a sudden."

"One word, Pop; secrets," Barton said. "You talk more with Eric than you do anyone else at the lab and he probably thought that granted him some sort of exception the others didn't have. A pass into your personal life or something."

"Clint has a good point," Grant said. "I know you want to talk with them all, Horatio, but it might be better to let Phil or Steve talk to your team first. Let them know that you're busy setting up a new federal department and you'll be in as soon as you have time, but asked them to handle the basics."

Horatio sighed. "I don't think that's a good idea," he said. "Clint, Natasha is on the monster's head with a sword."

"She would be," Barton snorted. "I'm willing to bet she's been carrying that sword for just such a fight, too."

"Natasha is remarkable," Grant said. "I could have used her in a few battles."

Barton grinned. "A lot of people feel like that," he said. "We're really lucky to have her. She makes baby agents cry, but they come out of her classes stronger than when they went in. You should have her teach your new team a few things, Pop."

"We'll see," Horatio said. "I'm not sure I want my people knowing much more than basic self-defense and weapons. That's something I still need to talk with Nick about, guards for crime scenes while the investigation is on-going. I don't want my people left alone for any reason."

"That's a good point," Barton agreed. "He'll make it happen for you, even if the guards aren't going to be too happy about it at first."

"They never are," Horatio said. "They come around in the end though."

"Especially with you there glaring at them," Grant said fondly. "I've seen you make Marines cry, Horatio."

"I think I'm going to enjoy having you both in SHIELD," Barton said. "If only to see how badly you shake the agents up."


	32. Chapter 32

Horatio looked at his team and the various lab techs filling the meeting room. They were good people and, while he knew he was leaving them in good hands, it was still hard to do. He'd done a lot to get the lab up to standard and then pass that standard. There was one CSI he was going to try to take with him to SHIELD, much to the department's disgust. Losing Horatio was bad enough. Adding in one of his team just made them grouchy.

"All right everyone, good morning," Horatio said. "Thank you for coming in for your shift early this morning so we could have this meeting. I'm sure you've all heard by now that I'm leaving the lab for a federal position. It wasn't an easy decision for me to make, but I talked it over with my family and we've decided that this is the best choice for me at this time. Calleigh will be taking over leadership of the lab, and I expect all of you to give her the same support and loyalty you've given to me."

"What federal group are you going to, Horatio?" Calleigh asked. "That's one thing I haven't been able to figure out, given your past."

"It's called SHIELD, Calleigh," Horatio replied with a fond smile. His hatred of all things federal was well known in the lab. "I have family working for them already and, when I was approached to create and staff a new department for them, I just couldn't say no."

"You could have," Eric commented.

"I asked myself an important question," Horatio said, "do I want to stay at the lab with my team family and keep the city of Miami safe, or do I want to leave and help to keep the world safe? When I realized what I would be able to do with SHIELD, there really was no question as to what I needed to do. You'll still be seeing me around the lab for the next six months or so. The department I'm heading is in the process of staffing and purchasing equipment, so the lab directors and chief have agreed to let me use the lab here to start training my people. I expect you to treat them with the same respect you would show to me, okay?"

Frank sighed. "I hate to see you go, Horatio," he said. "I know why you are though. Hell, if I was younger, I'd be right there with you."

"I know you would, Frank," Horatio said. "I'm hoping that you'll be willing to be a contact for myself and Grant."

"Try and stop me," Frank said with a smile.

"Thank you," Horatio said. "Calleigh, you're going to be seeing Tony in a few times. He's ordering different things to try and improve them and wants to see what we have standard in the lab and what else he can build or buy to play with."

"I'll do whatever I can to help him out if you're not around," she said. "Horatio, I'm going to need some help getting things taken care of with staffing and schedules. Do you have time to walk me through your system today?"

"Absolutely," Horatio said. "I also want to meet with everyone individually once I have your quarterly reviews done. That way you know exactly where you stand as you move into a new era at the lab. At that time, we can also talk about any issues, problems, or hopes you have. Those I do reserve the right to pass along to Calleigh if I think it's something she's better suited to help you with in the future. You all know that I won't tell anyone anything you tell me in confidence. I'm going to be doing the reviews over the next two days and then we'll schedule meetings around my new duties with SHIELD."

"It's going to be weird not having you here at the lab," Natalia said.

"I know it will be," Horatio said. "I'll still be in Miami and if any of you need me for anything, call. I don't care what time it is, give me a call, okay? They aren't posting me away from here, at least not long-term. It's possible I might be gone randomly, but still call. You are my family and I want you all to know that me leaving does not change that. That's everything. Go ahead and get to work. Mr. Wolfe, if I could talk with you for a moment, please?"


	33. Chapter 33

"What's up, Horatio?" Ryan asked when they were alone in the room.

"Come take a walk with me," Horatio replied. "I don't want anyone hearing what we're talking about."

Ryan shrugged and followed Horatio out of the lab and down the street a little. He was puzzled when they were met by a plain man in a suit. "H?"

"Agent Coulson, this is Ryan Wolfe," Horatio said. "Ryan, Phil is my primary link to SHIELD right now and he wanted to meet you."

"It's a pleasure, Mr. Wolfe," Coulson said. "I've been reviewing files for the lab, seeing if there's anyone suited for teaching other than Horatio, so we can get our CSI department up and running that much faster, and I was very interested when I saw your files."

"That's a little creepy, but thank you," Ryan said. "What's going on, H?"

"I need a second in command, Ryan," Horatio said softly. "Someone I know, someone I trust, and someone that will do the right thing no matter what. You can say no, but I'd like for you to come with me to SHIELD and help me set up this new department."

"Wow, that's, okay, uhm, thank you," Ryan said, blinking. "It's not what I thought we were going to talk about, Horatio. Can I maybe have a little time to think about it?"

Horatio smiled fondly. "Of course you can, take a week and rate the pros and cons of transferring into a new department," he said. "Just, Ryan, don't mention this to anyone else in the lab, okay? You've probably noticed that Eric and I are having a difference of opinion right now, and I don't want him to know about this just yet."

"He'll want to know why me and not him," Ryan said. "That's a fair question, actually. Why me and not Eric?"

"He's as sharp as you said, Horatio," Coulson said. "I'm going to go, I've got to get Clint to the local medical office for a check-up. Will you be home for supper tonight? Grant said he'd be cooking."

"I wouldn't miss it for anything," Horatio said. "I'll see you all at the house."

"It was a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Wolfe," Coulson said. "Whatever your choice, I feel confident that you will make the correct one."

Ryan waited until they were alone. "Is he for real?" he asked. 

"He's a very good actor," Horatio replied with a smile. "He's been dating Clint for years now, so Phil is very much a part of my family. Come on, Ryan, let me explain everything to you. We can walk for this, I really just wanted you to meet Phil."

"Yeah, I'm totally lost," Ryan admitted.

"You remember Clint, the young man that helped with the arrow shootings?"

"I won't forget him any time soon," Ryan said. "I looked him up online. One of the Avengers, which is pretty cool."

"It is. I brought Clint into my home when he was a teenager in need of shelter, food, and guidance," Horatio said. "I consider him my son, and he calls me his father. We've always had a close relationship, so you can imagine why Eric would think that Clint and I were dating. Given that Clint calls me Pop no matter what, I'm a little disappointed in Eric for not listening to the evidence there, but that's in the past. When Clint and Phil started dating, I welcomed Phil into my family as well. Grant is my partner. He's military and I kept our relationship secret so he would be safe on deploy."

Ryan nodded. "So Eric's upset that you've been hiding things from him," he said. "It's your life, Horatio, I don't blame you for keeping things to yourself, especially if others were involved."

"Thank you. Now then, the reason I picked you instead of Eric for my second is simple, Ryan," Horatio said. "I know that you will do whatever needs to be done to help me keep people safe. Yes, Eric would do the same, but he's followed me down some dark paths, and I don't want to risk him any more than I already have. I also know that you will not question me if I ask you to do something. It's a matter of trust, Ryan."

"So if you and Eric weren't having this fight, would you have picked him instead of me?"

"No, you would still be my choice no matter what. Don't think that you are second pick here, Ryan," Horatio said. "You need a certain mindset to work for SHIELD, and you have that. Eric and the others, they don't. I don't know that I'm explaining this very well. Do you understand what I'm not saying here, Ryan?"

"I think so," Ryan said. "Give me a couple of days to think about it. You're right though, Miami vs. the world, there's really no question there, is there?"

"No, there's really not," Horatio said. "Let me know, Ryan. Do what's best for you."

Ryan nodded with a smile. "I will, H."


	34. Chapter 34

"Where's Tony?" Coulson asked, looking around at everyone gathered out on the deck.

"Inside with JARVIS talking about slides," Bruce replied. "He's really looking forward to the challenge of helping to outfit the new SHIELD CSI department with equipment that will help them with the more super beings in the world. Want me to go get him?"

Steve stood up. "I'll go, Bruce. I wanted to grab some milk anyway," he said. "Anyone else need anything while I'm up?"

"I think we're all okay, Steve, but thank you," Horatio said. "Clint, what did the doctors have to say to you today?"

Barton sighed. "They want me to start swimming twice a day to try and build up my stamina for when I'm able to walk again," he said. "I'm all for swimming, but I'd kinda like to be able to see where I am and what's around me."

"We'll go in with you, Clint," Natasha said. "It'll be fun. You know that Tony will turn it into some sort of competition for all of us."

"Of course I will. Competitions are fun," Tony said, sliding into the seat between Horatio and Barton. "What are we competing for this time around?"

"Swimming," Barton said. "You and Rogers to see who can swim faster."

Coulson sighed. "Behave, Clint," he said. "Horatio, the doctors are cautiously optimistic about Clint's recovery. His bones are about finished knitting, but they want to give it an extra week to be sure his pelvis is fully healed before they let him put his full weight on it again. Physically, his body is healing as well as can be expected. His eyes are the continued concern."

"It's only been a week, Clint," Horatio said. "They said a month. I know it's scary for you, but I'm positive you will get your vision back again."

"It's just, I rely on my eyes for my work, Pop," Barton said. "I know Director Fury said I still have a job no matter what, but I don't know what I'll do if I can't go down to the range and shoot every day."

"Let me think about it, Clint," Horatio said. "Okay, give me a day to think about this."

"Sure," Barton said. "So, Tony, what's up with these slides you're so excited about?"

Tony lit up. "JARVIS and I are working on different materials for slides that will show different types of trace materials differently," he said. "There will be the standard glass ones for general work, but when you have something corrosive, like that slime monster we ran into, you need a slide that isn't going to dissolve while you're working with it. There's also different lights that can be used for different things. I never realized how much science there could be with trace from mutants and super-beings."

"I'd say you have a good helper here, Horatio," Grant commented. "How did things go at the lab?"

"Not as well as I'd hoped, but better than it could have," Horatio sighed. "I don't know what to do about Eric. I've made so many mistakes dealing with this situation and I don't know what to do next."

"Let me talk to him?" Tony asked. "Seriously, I was going to be at the lab poking around to see what else you have there that I could make better for you. Let me talk with him for a bit. I promise I'll be good."

"Stark, you are never good," Natasha sighed.

"You wound me, Widow," Tony said. "Want me to take Bruce along? You know he'll make me behave."

Coulson glanced over. "That might not be a bad idea," he said. "If Bruce wants to go."

"Sure," Bruce said with a shrug. "Maybe I can think of a few things to help the new department too."

"Calleigh will be expecting you," Horatio said.

Tony nodded. "Awesome," he grinned. "Tomorrow, Bruce, we're going to make history."

Bruce rolled his eyes and went back to his dinner. He knew better than to even try to comment on that one.


	35. Chapter 35

Horatio called Calleigh to give her a heads-up that two of the Avengers would be at the lab and that they had clearance to look at any piece of equipment they wanted to. She was ready when Tony walked in at nine exactly. "Good morning, Tony," Calleigh said with a smile. "It's good to see you again."

"Calleigh, you are a ray of sunshine," Tony said. "This is Dr. Bruce Banner, my partner in all things science. Bruce, this lovely lady is Calleigh, Horatio's former second-in-command and now head of the crime lab."

"It's nice to meet you, Dr. Banner," Calleigh said. "What can I show you two today?"

"Everything," Tony said. "We need to see and make note of every piece of equipment you have here in the lab from top to bottom, serial numbers or spec numbers, so I can make a comprehensive list of what needs to be adapted for our purposes and what can stand as is. Bruce is here to make sure I behave, mostly. I was also hoping to talk with Eric about something, if here's here and I won't interrupt anything super important."

Bruce sighed. "Tony, why don't you let JARVIS and me get started on the equipment list," he said. "I imagine a lot of it is standard Chemistry equipment, am I right, Calleigh?"

"Sure is," she said. "Come on, I'll show you guys a place you can work and see if I can find Eric. Our equipment inventory is on the computer, so you'll be able to print out a copy. I'm surprised Horatio hasn't, honestly."

"He's got a lot on his mind," Tony said. He clipped the visitor badge onto his suit jacket and followed Calleigh into the lab, Bruce right behind him. "They're starting light physical therapy for Clint today, along with meetings and planning for the new department. I'm sure he would have given me a list if he'd been able to."

"I can only imagine," Calleigh said. "Here you go, let me get a list printing out for you, and then, as long as there's no work going on, you two have free run of the lab."

"We don't want to interfere with any on-going cases," Bruce said. He pulled out a stool and sat down. "This is a lovely building, Calleigh, but doesn't it get hot in here?"

"We have mirrored tint on the windows, it helps a little," Calleigh said. "There's no way to keep a building totally cool in Miami, especially in the late summer. There we go, it's several hundred pages, so let me go find Eric while this prints out for you."

Tony smiled. "Thanks for the help, Calleigh, we really appreciate it."

"No problem," she said.

"I think I see what Horatio meant," Bruce commented. "This is a good place with good people. It'll be a good training facility until SHIELD is up and running."

"Yeah, you're right, and I think a lot of it is Horatio's influence and talent for picking people who work well together," Tony said. "So, we're looking at a lot of glassware, that's a given. Do you think we should plan on having some made of the other materials just to be safe?"

"It might not hurt to put the idea out there," Bruce said. "Especially if they do happen onto another slime monster. That slime was pretty nasty and ate through everything. Trying to work with samples of that could be dangerous without melt-proof glassware."

"Make a note, JARVIS," Tony said. "We need to plan for science with different types of materials. Let's color-code the glassware. That shouldn't hurt anything, we could just do the rim so the container itself is clear. Red for biohazard, orange for heat, yellow for corrosive, green for normal, blue for water, and purple for solids. Black could be used for anything that doesn't fit into one of the other categories."

"You do realize we'll have to try and create the glassware for those categories," Bruce pointed out. 

Tony looked up with a grin. "It'll be fun," he said. "There's Eric. Good morning, Eric, how are you this fine morning?"

"Busy," Eric said. "Calleigh said you wanted to talk to me."

"I'd hoped to be able to talk with you and have you hear what I was saying," Tony said. "It seems like you've got it in your mind that we're these bad guys coming in and kidnapping your boss, Eric. Let me ask you something. Do you have a secret that you guard so closely that no one ever guesses that it's there?"

"What?"

"I think most people do," Bruce interjected. "I know I have one that I kept hidden for a few years. Tony and the team know it, now, but for the longest while I held onto that secret like it was the only thing keeping me alive. I told them because they needed to know to keep them safe, otherwise it would still be my most closely guarded thing."

"Still happy you trusted us enough to share, big and green," Tony said softly. "In my case, I do have a secret, it's just hard to tell because I talk constantly. No, that's not true, but I can. Sometimes the only way to shut me up is to give me something to work on, a puzzle or research. This isn't something I would tell anyone though, not even my science brother here. Because I'm not the only one involved and my telling could hurt someone else. Just like Horatio, really. Sometimes keeping secrets is the only way to keep the ones we care about safe, and we have to way the pros and cons of telling vs not telling and someone is always going to end up hurt. But just because we're keeping secrets doesn't mean that we don't care about our friends and family. It just means we want to keep them safe. Bruce, is that a scanning microscope listed there? How old is that thing? I can totally make them a better one. JARVIS, make a note of that, too. We also need to upgrade all the computers and make sure they're up to standard for what Horatio's going to be doing."

Bruce waited until Tony took a breath and then broke in. "Eric, the point here is that blaming someone for keeping a secret about their life isn't fair," he said. "Being close friends with someone doesn't entitle you to learning their deepest thoughts, no matter how much you might want to. Keeping friends and family safe is sometimes more important than making them happy."

"Horatio asked you to talk to me?" Eric asked.

"Nope, we offered," Tony replied. He looked up from the list he was reviewing as it printed. "Different perspective and all that. I think, until you can look past the bruised feelings and really talk with Horatio, you're not going anywhere."

"You shouldn't steal lines from Pepper," Bruce said.

"Why not, it's a good piece of advice," Tony said. "Here, Bruce, this is what's puzzling me. How can we adapt the superglue tank for other uses?"

"Trial and error," Bruce said. "That's how the technique was discovered initially. You have candyland, Tony. Put them to the task and see what happens. Eric, would you like to come over for supper tonight? Just hang out with the family and talk with Horatio?"

"No, but thank you," Eric said. "I can't stand to see him so happy with Grant and Clint."

Tony looked up, suddenly serious. "They're his family, Eric. Just like you are, and fights in families are the most damaging you can ever have," he said. "The family is the one place you are supposed to be safe no matter what, but we're all just human and we fight. You're hurting Horatio. He's questioning himself badly right now, and I don't know that it's fair of you to do that to him when he's been as honest as he possibly could with you. Consider what you would have done if the situation was reversed and then come talk to us again. I don't like closed-minded people. They can't see the world as it truly is."

Bruce sighed. "Bit harsh there, Tony, but your point is valid," he said. "Eric, you're not the only one hurting right now, and you need to realize that. I think Horatio would let you sit there and yell at him if it would help solve this issue between you. Think about what we've said and come find us if you have any questions. We're going to be here all day. Maybe even into tonight if I can't drag Tony out for supper."

"What do you think, Bruce?" Tony asked softly when they were alone in the lab.

"I think he's hurt and not seeing past the bruises to his feelings and possibly his ego," Bruce replied. "Time might be the only thing that helps here, Tony."

"I hope not," Tony sighed. "Horatio's hurting more than he's letting on. I've seen the pain in his eyes before, usually when I look in the mirror. I wish there was something else I could do, but I don't know what there is left."

"Patience," Bruce said. "Here, take a look at this. We're getting into their DNA equipment. Do you think we can create a mutant DNA database?"

"Not easily," Tony said. "Not easily at all."


	36. Chapter 36

"I still don't know how you don't burn," Grant said as he spread sunblock onto Horatio's back. "You're out in the sun all day and you never burn."

"I never tan either," Horatio sighed. "When I'm in a suit, Grant, I can manage to get sunblock on so I don't burn. Swimming is a little harder for me."

"I'm still amazed you're coming in with me, Pop," Barton said. "I thought you didn't swim anymore."

Horatio smiled fondly. "Only when Grant is home," he said. "There aren't many people I trust to put sunblock on my back. I know he's not going to let me burn."

"Of course not," Grant said. "I'd kiss you, but this stuff tastes terrible. Phil, you're up."

"Come on, Clint, let's go on into the water and Phil can join us in a minute," Horatio said. He helped the younger man up and they started down across the sand. "I don't think I've had a chance to say how happy I am that I'm getting to spend time with you, Clint. I wish you hadn't been hurt so badly, I'd do almost anything to change that for you, but it feels like our first time in years to really get a chance to talk."

"I know what you mean, Pop," Barton said. He hissed when the cool water hit his bare feet. "That's chillier than I was expecting it to be."

"You'll warm up quickly," Horatio said. "Come on, I'm going to sit you just past the wave break while you adjust to the temperature and then we'll work on swimming."

"How, exactly, are we going to do that?" Barton asked, sinking into the water. "I'd better not take a wave to the face, Pop. It's not like I can see the goals or anything."

"That's why we're here," Natasha said, appearing next to him. "You need to get better so we can spar again, Clint. Steve is going easy on me."

Barton turned his head towards Natasha. "I didn't think he was that stupid."

"I didn't either," she sighed. "I've told him repeatedly that he can hit as hard as he wants and he won't hurt me, but he says it's too much of a risk and he won't do it no matter what. It's frustrating."

"I was going to ask you a favor, Natasha," Horatio broke in. "When my new team is assembled, would you be willing to teach all of us some basic self-defense? I know they'll have gone through some basic training with SHIELD, but I want to be sure each one of them can take care of themselves in the field no matter what the situation."

"It'd be my pleasure, Horatio," she said. "Here come the others, Clint."

"I can hear them," Barton said. "We need to work on Cap's ability to sneak, Nat."

"Yes, we do," she said with a small smile.

Horatio didn't want to know. "Swimming therapy," he said. "I'm going to be the start and Grant the finish. Steve, Natasha and Phil, if you'll walk along side Clint to help keep him going in the general direction, please. Grant and I will also be talking, so Clint can use our voices to hone in on."

"Not bad, Pop," Barton said. "Get me speaking targets next and I'll be the first blind marksman in the world."

"You'll get your eyesight back, Clint," Horatio said. "I know how frustrating this is, but you'll get there. I promise you that."

"I know."

"How far are we doing, Horatio?" Grant asked.

"Let's start fifty paces apart and see how this works," Horatio replied. "Clint, you tell us when you start getting tired, okay? No lying to us about this. I don't want you risking any reinjuries."

"I promise," Clint said. He reached out and Coulson took his hand. "I guess we'll see how good my sense of direction is here."

Coulson kissed the top of Clint's head. "You'll be fine. We'll all be here every step of the way."


	37. Chapter 37

Horatio was in the shower when arms wrapped around him from behind. "Hey."

"You wet is something that should be kept from the general public," Grant said. "Do you know how hard it was for me to keep from jumping you out there?"

"I don't think anyone would have minded," Horatio said. He turned to face his partner and smiled softly. "They know we haven't seen each other in far too long."

"Some things we should keep the kids from seeing," Grant murmured. He leaned down the short distance and caught Horatio's mouth with his own. Horatio moaned softly and tilted his head to deepen the kiss. "Let's get this sunblock off and go to bed for a nap."

"I like the sound of that," Horatio said. He reached out for the soap and started on Grant's back. "What do you think?"

Grant sighed. "It may be a lost cause, Horatio," he said. "From what Tony was telling us, Eric hoped to have more with you without checking to see if you wanted the same, and now he's running hurt and blind."

"Turn so I can get your neck," Horatio said. "I don't know what to do. He's been my best friend for so many years, one of the few I felt truly comfortable with, and now he can't stand to see me happy. Did I miss something, Grant? Did I let myself be blinded to something obvious because I was too close to it?"

"It's possible you might have, but you didn't miss anything," Grant said. "You never do."

"I didn't see his changing feelings for me."

"From the sounds of it, Clint is the only one that did," Grant said. They shifted around to wash the soap off Grant's back while Horatio started on his front. "What would you have done if Eric had asked you out, Horatio?"

"Probably just what I did at the mall," Horatio said with a small sigh. "Although I might have been so shocked that I said something even more hurtful to him. I really hate no-win situations."

"I know you do," Grant said.

"Lieutenant Caine," JARVIS said. "Do forgive the interruption, but Agent Barton wishes me to tell you that Eric Delko is here."

"Thank you, JARVIS," Horatio said. "Something tells me this is not going to be good, Grant. Help me finish up quickly?"

"Yep."  
****

Horatio and Grant emerged from the back of the house twenty minutes later, both dressed in polos and jeans with their hair still damp. "Eric, sorry to keep you waiting," Horatio said. "What's up?"

"The news just broke at the lab," Eric said. "You're taking Wolfe with you."

"SHIELD offered him a position, yes," Horatio said. "I hadn't heard an official conformation on whether or not he was taking it. Phil?"

"The call came through while we were all out swimming," Coulson said. "He'll be doing his paperwork tomorrow."

"Then I guess the answer is yes, Eric, Ryan will be coming with me to SHIELD," Horatio said. "Although I have to say I'm disappointed that the lab heard about it before I did."

Coulson nodded. "As am I," he said. "I think, Horatio, that it wouldn't hurt to have me go down and double check that everyone at the lab understands the words top secret and non-disclosure."

"I'd pay to see that," Barton muttered. "Ouch."

Natasha shifted her elbow away from Barton's ribs. "Behave."

"Don't attack the invalid," Barton said. "Phil, Nat's being mean to me again."

"I'm sure you deserve it," Coulson said absently.

"Phil."

"Enough, children," Horatio said. "Natasha, don't elbow Clint. Clint, I know you find your lover in lecture mode extremely hot, but there is a time and a place."

"Your dad is scary," Tony whispered to Barton.

"Yep."

"Eric, I didn't really have a say in who they picked for the new department," Horatio said. "I provided the files and made my recommendations, but it really was Phil that made the final call."

"So you didn't recommend me for the new department?" Eric asked.

Horatio sighed. "Honestly, no, I didn't," he replied. "Ryan has what the new department needs. I know the two of you have been at odds in the past, but I had hoped you worked past that."

"You've always said it was you and me together, Horatio," Eric said. "Was that a lie?"

"No. I would never lie to you about work, Eric," Horatio said. "Not when I need to know your head is in the game so you don't get hurt. Working for SHIELD takes a special type of person, and right now, Ryan is the only other one in the lab that fits the qualifications. It's possible that, in the future, there will be others, but I need to know that you'll be there supporting Calleigh to keep the lab running at the same level it has since the team came together."

"You make it sound so easy," Eric said. "Like this is all a story and you get the happy ending while the rest of us are left behind to pick up the pieces."

"Eric, I am sorry I hurt you so badly," Horatio said. "I wish there was some way I could change this, but I can't. My life, my family, is what it is and was before we ever met. I know that no one can help how they feel, but hanging onto the hurt is only going to hurt you in the long run. You can blame me for as long as you want to, that's fine, but you need to let go of the bitterness or you could risk losing everything you care about."

"I think I already have."

"No you haven't Eric. No you haven't. You still have your family, and friends at the lab who care about you a great deal," Horatio said. "Open your eyes and see what's happening around you so you don't lose them too, Eric."


	38. Chapter 38

"Phil, are you going to the lab tomorrow?" Barton asked later that night when the pair was soaking in the bath together.

"I hadn't planned on it, no," Coulson replied. "Even though I said I wanted to be sure everyone understood what was at stake here, Horatio is starting his quarterly reviews tomorrow morning and said he would take care of it for me. Why?"

Barton sighed. "I want to talk with Eric," he said. "One on one. He's hurting and he's hurting Pop. I might be the only one able to get through to him."

"Or you could do more harm," Coulson said. "Clint, think about it for a minute. As far as Eric knew up until a few days ago, you and Horatio were lovers. Now, I happen to agree with the others that I don't know how he came to that conclusion, but jealousy can make for unusual assumptions. We both know that."

"Don't we just."

"Then Eric finds out that not only does Horatio have a family that he doesn't talk about, suddenly Horatio's long-time partner is back in the picture, as is a son that Eric didn't know about," Coulson continued. "Eric has said that he can't stand to see Horatio happy with you and Grant. What does that tell you?"

"That's Eric's an idiot that isn't seeing clearly right now," Barton said. "Phil, I know all of this, but I have to try. You know I see more clearly than most. I think that maybe I can get through to him when everyone else is having problems doing it."

Coulson turned his head to look at his lover. "Okay, I'll ask. Why?"

"Because I've been right where he is and can understand where he's coming from," Barton said softly.

"Clint."

"No, I know you love me and nothing in the world will change that. We survived aliens, bombs, insane coworkers, those doughnuts," Barton said.

"We agreed never to talk about those again."

"My point is, Phil, I was in love with you for years before I was brave enough to say anything," Barton finished. "I was convinced you were in a relationship, that part is different, but the rest of it is almost a parallel. I know I could make this ten times worse, but right now Eric is ready to walk and lose everything. Calleigh is going to need him at the lab. I want to try."

"All right, we'll go to the lab tomorrow," Coulson said. "I want it on record as being a bad idea, however."

"Duly noted, Sir," JARVIS said.

Coulson glanced up at the ceiling. "There are many days I wonder where the hell you got that dry sense of humor, JARVIS."

"Living with Mr. Stark, one picks up on certain things, Agent Coulson," JARVIS said. "He programmed me to learn, and so I have."

"You're a good AI, JARVIS," Barton said with a grin.

"Thank you, Agent Barton."

"All right, come on, Clint. Let's get you out and to bed. We've suddenly got a busy day ahead of us."  
****

"You're sure," Coulson said as he wheeled Barton into the fingerprint lab where Eric was working.

"Yep," Barton replied. "You go check on Horatio, I'll be fine, Phil."

Coulson kissed the top of Barton's head and left. He wasn't going to go far, not when his lover couldn't see, but he needed to be out of sight. That didn't mean he wouldn't be able to hear everything.

"Morning, Eric," Barton said.

"No offense, Clint, but you're probably the last person I want to see right now."

"Yeah, I can believe it," Barton said. "You've been hounded by everyone but Cap, haven't you? The problem with that is, no one knows where you're coming from. I do."

"No, you don't."

Barton grinned. "You want to bet on that one, Eric? Seriously?" he asked. "Because I would win and then you'd owe me lunch of something, so let's just skip that part. Look, I know where you're coming from because I've been right there with you, only I didn't have anyone trying to talk to me. I couldn't talk with Pop, Grant was overseas on deploy. I had to work it out on my own. You don't."

Eric put down the paper he was working with. "Clint, what part of I don't want to see you didn't you get?" he asked.

"I could go out in the hall and call your phone," Barton replied. "Face it, Eric, you've suddenly got an ally and you're scared."

"I'm not scared."

"Then you're angry because something is making you shake hard enough to rattle the table. Yeah, my ears are good too. Look, I'll be brief and then you can get back to your wallowing," Barton said. "First time I saw Phil was when I was still in basic. Twenty years old and fell head over heels for him in one look. I knew nothing about him, not even his name. He was just a guy in a suit, but I was gone. Scared me to death and I tried to hide it. Then I ended up with him as my handler. The highest rated handler at SHIELD and known for seeing everything. Somehow though, he never saw how I felt about him. I don't know if I was just that good at keeping it hidden or if he saw and chose to ignore because I was his asset. He was also dating someone back then, so that made me feel extra guilty for my feelings."

"This isn't relevant because you got him," Eric pointed out.

"Eric, there is a guy or girl out there for you," Barton said. "Yeah, I somehow was lucky enough to win Phil's heart. I don't know how, given my past, but I know exactly how lucky I am. So you fell in love with someone that's taken. It happens. It's embarrassing as hell, you want to go crawl in a hole and not come out again until the end of the world. You lash out, hoping to make him hurt as much as you are. Guess what, it worked. Pop's hurting so badly right now that he's turning all quarterly reviews over to Calleigh and leaving the lab early. Way to go there, big guy, you just ran your best friend off because you can't accept that he didn't share every single deep, dark secret he had with you. Pop has given you every chance to stay friends, to be a part of the larger family he's introduced you to, but all you can do is see your own hurt feelings. You're so blind right now, it's a wonder they're still letting you work."

Eric pushed back and stood up so fast the table rattled. "What do you know about it?" he demanded.

"I know that if you don't get over the shame you feel you're going to ruin everything for yourself," Barton said. "Love hurts, Eric, that's all there is to it, but it's so worth it in the end. I almost lost Phil during a battle up in New York. He almost lost me when a building came down on top of me. Pop's almost lost Grant five times. What are we supposed to do, bundle the other up and keep them hidden at home until love sours and turns to hate and resentment? If you truly love someone then you are there for them no matter how much it might hurt you to be. It's time for you to grow up, learn that life isn't fair, and move on. There's still a chance you can make this right with Pop, but it's going to take a hell of a lot of work on your part."

"I'm done with this," Eric snapped and stalked out of the room.

Barton sighed and closed his eyes. "Sorry, Pop."

Horatio came into the room and pulled Barton into a hug. "He needed to hear it, son," he said softly. "Thank you."


	39. Chapter 39

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I know I normally take Wednesday and Thursday off from updating because I'm not at work and I use my days off to work on my original pieces. However, today I received an extremely hateful email telling me to take a break and quit spamming the Clint/Coulson page with my works to give people who don't read my work a break, and to let others have a chance. I reported them to the AO3 team, but I'm an extremely contrary person. I'm updating straight through because I can.
> 
> I give huge hugs to all my readers. You all give me the energy to keep writing. Thank you all for your support. Know that no matter how sad I am from this email, I'm not quitting.

Horatio walked up to the building and took off his sunglasses. "I think this will work," he said, looking at the open area and other buildings. "Old military base?"

"It is," Coulson said. "SHIELD has held the rights to it since the end of the Cold War, we just haven't had a reason to use it before this. Grant will have ten officers under his command traveling around Florida and reporting in. You'll have your lab staff and we'll be stationing guards and four pilots with some jets here for you as well. Give us six months, Horatio, and you won't even recognize the place."

"This cluster of buildings could be connected into one big lab," Ryan said, turning in a full circle. "With specialists in each building. You know, like we have different labs, H, we could have different buildings with several labs per so we can investigate more cases easily."

"Very good point, Ryan," Horatio said. "Phil, is there a chance we could build a few more structures while the others are being renovated?"

"I'll check, but yes, it should be possible," Coulson said. "There's a landing strip two miles south of our position. The base is twenty square miles, and will be secure. Director Fury has been looking for a reason to station a few squads here. They'll be under their own command, but you will be the commander for the base, Horatio. This location's mission is science first."

"More paperwork, less field work," Horatio sighed. "I suppose that's what the government is."

"Yes, it is," Coulson said. "You'll find there's less paperwork than you think, Horatio. Come on, let's look over the rest of this part of the base and you can see if there are any changes you want to make. Most of our forms are on the computer with software written in so that once it is saved, if any changes are made to that form without the proper authorization, it flags and then Nick's office is notified. He's never happy when people mess with paperwork."

"I imagine not," Horatio said with a small smile. "My office will be in one of the lab buildings, Phil. I don't want to be cut off from my people. Ryan, would you be willing to have your office in a different building from mine. That way people can seek us out more easily."

Ryan nodded. "Sure, that sounds good," he said. "I'll be honest, H, I'm still not entirely sure what's going on, but to help keep the world safe, I just couldn't say no."

"We appreciate the sentiment," Coulson said. "You both will be fully briefed before anything officially happens here on the base. There, that's the building I'm thinking of for Grant to use as his base. It's not that far from yours, Horatio, so you two can have lunch together if it's at all possible."

"I think Grant will agree, but you'll need to bring him out here too," Horatio said. "Those are the staff buildings and hangers there in the distance?"

"They are, and we're going to add in a gym and sparring area," Coulson said. "Natasha will help train your people, but we're going to be sending down other trainers at various times to teach other methods of self-protection and firearms."

"That sounds good, thank you," Horatio said with a smile. "I think, Phil, that you couldn't have found a better place for us to be calling home."

"We try our best," Coulson said. "You'll be supplied with SHIELD cars as well. While we do try to keep a low profile when we can, the Battle in New York brought us out into the light a little more than we wanted. The cars have lights installed and everyone will have to pass driving classes before they are authorized to take one off base."

"That sounds a bit more like the military there," Ryan commented. "So I just want to be sure sure I have this right. We're going to begin training the new CSIs at the crime lab and move them here as the facility is ready."

Coulson nodded. "Exactly right," he said. "Horatio, I've had the first set of files sent down. There's a few that I would like to have work with you for a year or so before they are reassigned to their final posting. I know it's hard to have staff changes, especially when you're still getting used to working with people, but the people I'm thinking of need more confidence training than anything else. Fury has plans for them."

"I'll do whatever I can," Horatio said. "Nick has given me a wonderful chance here. I'll do whatever he needs me to, within reason, to get SHIELD up to the best it can be."

"With that mind-set, Horatio, I think you're going to be a surprise to a lot of people," Coulson said.

"Not really," Ryan said. "That's how he always is."


	40. Chapter 40

"Clint has news," Grant said when the group got home from the base. Ryan was going to stay for supper and get to know the Avengers.

Horatio sat down next to the younger man. "What's going on, son?" he asked.

"I can see shadows," Barton replied with a grin. "Nothing firm, but I can tell how far you are away from me, Pop." To prove the point, he reached out and touched Horatio's face. 

"That is fantastic news." Horatio hugged Barton tightly. "It'll only get better from here, Clint. Only get better."

"I think I'm starting to believe it," Barton said.

"We need to alert medical to this development, Clint," Coulson said. He waited until Barton was leaning back in his chair again and then kissed the top of his head fondly. "They might want to take another look at you tomorrow."

"I did and they do," Barton said, making a face. "I hate them poking and prodding at me, especially when I can't see it coming."

"I'll be right there with you and will break the fingers of anyone that tries to hurt you," Coulson said. "Grant, we need to arrange a chance for you to tour your new base and meet the agents you'll be commanding. Your department is a little easier to set up and put into action."

Grant nodded. "I'm open to whatever day you guys want me there," he said. "My final paperwork from the Army came through today, so I'm all yours."

"Maybe tomorrow afternoon, when I'm back from medical with Clint."

"Sounds like a rough plan. We'll see how the day goes," Grant said.

"Spoken like a man who has had too many surprises in his career," Horatio said fondly. "Ryan Wolfe, this is my partner, Grant."

"This is Ryan?" Grant asked, standing up. "Pleasure to meet you. Horatio's told me about you in our weekly talks."

Ryan shook Grant's hand with a wry look. "That's a little unnerving," he said. 

"Only good things, I promise," Horatio said. "Grant, Ryan had some ideas for the base. If you and Phil don't mind, I think we'll tag along with you and talk over a few things."

"Works for me. Coulson?"

"That's not a problem, Horatio," Coulson said. "In fact, it's probably one of the best things we can do at this point. You and Ryan do need to review the files that I've had sent down to select the first scientists or agents you want to have in this department. The file on top is a pair of scientists that are marked for another program, but they need a chance to be out of the lab first. They are, unique, even in SHIELD."

Barton snickered. "If it's who I think it is, that's putting it mildly, Phil," he said. "Do I smell supper?"

Steve and Bruce appeared from the house carrying pizza boxes. "You do," Steve said with a smile. "Tony is brining the drinks, and Natasha is watching him."

"Ryan, this is Steve Rogers and Dr. Bruce Banner," Horatio said. "Gentlemen, Ryan is going to be my second-in-command at the lab."

"Welcome to the family," Tony said, appearing with two bags. "Cap, I still maintain that the beer would have been okay."

"No alcohol until Barton is off-meds," Steve said. "Clint, plate is in front of you, four inches back, pop open and eight inches in."

"Tell them," Coulson said, nudging his lover.

"I can see shadows, Cap," Barton said. "Not much, but enough to make out very vague shapes around me."

"See, told you we needed alcohol," Tony said. "Birdy's vision coming back is reason to celebrate."

Horatio sighed fondly. "We can have ice cream sundaes after supper to celebrate, Tony," he said. "I'm sure that will be enough for you all to make a mess with."

"What?" Ryan asked.

"We've got a newbie here," Natasha said from somewhere. "We'll behave tonight, right, Tony?"

"Sure, whatever," Tony said. "Seriously, Clint, that's awesome news. You'll be back on fighting form in no time."

"Hope so," Barton said.


	41. Chapter 41

"Phil, could I talk to you for a second?" Horatio asked the next afternoon when they were all out at the base.

"What's up, Horatio?" Coulson said.

Horatio picked up two folders. "I'm a little confused by what I'm reading here," he said. "The pair you want to post here for more experience before you take them for their next assignment."

"FitzSimmons. They're unique, even in SHIELD, Horatio," Coulson said. "Best friends since they were six, both geniuses and something happened to them that means they're not quite telepathic, they have their own language and can communicate without words. They also both have some fear issues, which is why I want to get them out of the lab they're in right now, but give them a safety net before they are posted to the field."

"I was a little concerned they were two people sharing a single brain," Horatio said.

"It'll seem like it at times, but they're not. We've got the brainwave scans to prove it," Coulson said. He smiled. "I think you're the best one to work with them, truthfully. I know you want to pick your own team, but if you could take them on for me, it would be a big help."

"Of course, I'll be happy to work with them," Horatio said. "I'll have my final choices to you by tomorrow, I just wanted to ask about this pair. Should we go and see what trouble the others have found?"

Coulson snorted softly. "On any piece of SHIELD ground, Horatio, trouble finds you," he said.

"Clint was telling me about that," Horatio said as they started towards the small ground standing outside the buildings where the labs would be. "Something about certain words and phrases that are never to be uttered under pain of death."

"I'll get you a list," Coulson said. 

"I wish I thought you were joking," Horatio said.

"There are some days when I wish I was too," Coulson said. "Grant, what do you think so far?"

Grant looked over briefly. "It has potential," he said. "I think I can see it finished and full of life again. There are few things sadder than an abandoned military base."

"True enough," Coulson said. "I brought the keys with me today, guys, so we can go inside and look around. Oh, and Tony wanted me to tell you, Horatio, that he's gone back to Candyland to work on your new equipment and you're not to buy anything for the lab until he's finished."

"Should that worry me?" Horatio asked.

"No, not until he shows up with equipment that explodes to find answers for you," Barton said. "Tony's got a really unique approach to lab work, Pop. You should come up to New York and meet Dummy."

"Dummy?"

"One of Tony's three robotic helpers in the lab," Coulson said. "Probably the most easy going of the group, and one that is very likely in love with the fire extinguisher. That's why Tony has to keep it hidden."

"Like he doesn't have sprinklers in the lab anyway," Barton said. "Okay, going from light to dark is really screwing me up."

"We're here," Coulson said, squeezing his lover's shoulder softly. "There's nothing in here but dust and bugs."

Barton looked up. "Not exactly reassuring, given a few of the things I've seen, Phil."

"Good point," Coulson agreed. "I'll make a note to have a SHIELD security team come through before we allow any renovations to be done."

Horatio just shook his head fondly. He'd known he was heading into a unique world when he agreed to work for SHIELD, but the truth was ending up stranger than anything he could have imagined. It was going to be interesting.


	42. Chapter 42

Work started up on the new base the next week. Horatio and Grant both received folders on the people they would be commanding and started to review them to memorize as much as they could. Horatio then passed his onto Ryan so the new second-in-command would be able to learn as much as possible about the new CSIs they would be working with. The lab staff was a little easier to pick out, SHIELD scientists that wanted to relocate south, or a chance for a promotion to the new lab. Coulson double-checked each of them to be sure that they would fit in well with the staff Horatio was putting together.

The day that Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons arrived in Miami was one that no one in SHIELD would forget. Barton had about fifty percent of his vision back and was at the lab talking with Calleigh about bows and how they developed through history, different types of bows and arrows when a tiny robot flew past his head. Calleigh jumped and reached for her gun, but Barton stopped her. "That's one of the seven dwarves," he said. "FitzSimmons is probably showing Pop how they work and one got lost," he said, holding out a hand. "Come here, I won't hurt you, baby. Oh, you're Sleepy, aren't you? I recognize your markings. Come on, let's see if we can get you back to your parents."

"What is it, exactly?" Calleigh asked, pushing Barton towards the main area of the lab.

"There's seven of them, all programmed to help investigate anything," Barton replied, holding the buzzing robot close. "There's Doc, Happy, Bashful, Sleepy, Sneezy, Grumpy, and Dopey. We don't ask and FitzSimmons has never told us why, but they're pretty awesome tech. Hey guys, I found a missing baby."

"Oh, Agent Barton, thank you," Simmons said with a grin. "We wondered where Sleepy got off to. He must have just wanted a fly around to get the lay of the land."

"More likely he wanted a nap," Fitz said. He took the robot carefully. "Thanks for that, Agent Barton. Glad someone they knew was around."

"Guys, this is Calleigh, head of the crime lab," Barton said. "Cal, Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons."

Calleigh looked surprised, but took it in stride. "It's a pleasure to meet you both," she said. "Welcome to the lab and to Miami. If there's anything I can do to help you out, just let me know, okay?"

"We'll do that, thank you," Fitz said.

"That's very kind of you," Simmons said at the same time, words overlapping.

"Where's Pop?" Barton asked, looking at Coulson.

"Getting us guest passes and setting it up so SHIELD has access to the crime lab for training," Coulson said. "Ryan was curious about what was in the cases, so I gave the okay to let the dwarves fly around for a bit."

Fitz looked up from his tablet/board combination. "They're not liking the humidity too much, we'll have to adjust for that, but it should be an easy enough fix," he said. "Simmons, what are you seeing on your end?"

"What we're expecting, standard building materials overlaid with a slight build-up of chemicals from the years of functioning as a lab," she replied. "Nothing harmful, nothing to worry about. Certainly lower grade than the SHIELD labs have."

Horatio walked back over. "This is yours, I'm assuming?" he asked with a smile.

"Grumpy you naughty boy, you know better than to take off on your own," Fitz said. "I'm sorry, Lieutenant, he normally behaves better than that. We should probably recall the others to be sure that none of them are missing."

Calleigh moved over next to Horatio. "You don't find this odd?" she asked, looking at the hovering robots.

"Not in the least," he replied. "Keep in mind I now have an AI butler at my house and Tony Stark building me my lab equipment."

"Stark?" FitzSimmons squeaked at the same time.

"He's not in town at the moment, but I'm sure you'll have a chance to meet him soon," Horatio said. "Is that all your children accounted for?"

"That's all of them."

"Yes, Sir."

The overlapping words would take a bit of work to get used to, but Horatio had good ears. "Then let's go see about getting you set up in an unused lab and we can start working on some basic CSI principles that can be adapted to your dwarves."

Barton could tell, looking at FitzSimmons, that they already adored Horatio because he accepted them for who they were. That was his Pop, as long as no one was hurt by it, he would adapt to anything almost instantly.


	43. Chapter 43

"This will be easy enough to adapt to," Fitz said, flipping quickly through a binder on crime scene investigation procedures. "Granted, we've never had to do anything like this before, but it'll be a good challenge for our equipment."

"Did someone say equipment?" Tony asked, walking into the lab where Horatio and FitzSimmons were working together.

"Oh my lord."

"Tony Stark."

Horatio bit back a smile. "Tony, these are two of my new CSIs, and I think that you'll enjoy seeing what they've invented," he said. "Fitz, Simmons, Tony Stark."

"It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Really an honor."

"Of course it is," Tony grinned. "No, seriously, I'm very pleased to meet you both. Sounds like you'll fit right in with the group, so I'll have to steal you for a day or two to see if you can help me finish working on a few things, if your tech is as good as Horatio seems to think it is."

"Can we let them out again, Lieutenant?" Simmons asked.

"Go ahead," Horatio replied. 

FitzSimmons picked up their tablets and started to enter instructions. The seven dwarves flew up out of their cases and circled Tony. He laughed, delighted, and reached out towards one. "That's amazing," he said. "It seriously is. What powers them?"

"Solar energy combined with a special battery that recharges as needed," Fitz said. "We can also power them up with a special pen we both carry that has a type of heat source in it."

"Clever," Tony said. "So you have them set up to work with different parts of the environment, I'm guessing. Sensing different things to give you as complete a picture as possible of whatever room you're in?"

"Exactly," Simmons said. 

"I might have to talk to Agent about hiding the two of you away from me," Tony said. "He's probably scared that I would try and steal you away from SHIELD with promises of labs built to your specifications and all the raw materials you need."

"Which is exactly the reason we've kept you apart," Coulson commented, pushing Barton into the room as well. "FitzSimmons, how are you two holding up?"

"Fine Sir."

"Good."

"I'm glad to hear it," Coulson said. "We don't have bunks set up on base yet, so we've rented a large house for the time being. You'll have rooms there and the usual supplies. Tony, now that you're back in town, Clint and I wanted to talk with you about possibly creating some targets for us."

"Sure, no problem," Tony said. "Just let me fill Horatio in on what all my labs have been able to do and are still working on and I'll come find you guys. Dinner on me? FitzSimmons, you want to join us?"

"We couldn't..."

"We don't want to impose...."

Coulson bit back a sigh. He'd hoped to keep the children from meeting the Avengers for at least another month, if not longer. "You'll be fine, both of you," he said. "It's not a problem. You don't have to, but if you decide to join us, I should warn you that your new second-in-command will be there, along with Horatio's partner and the rest of the Avengers."

"The rest of the...."

"It's really okay?"

"Go ahead and pack up, you can ride over with us," Barton said with a grin. "Come on, kids, let's get your feet wet in this larger world."

Tony glanced over at Horatio when they were alone. "I didn't want to say when they were all in here, but you picked up on it, Horatio?" he asked.

"I think anyone that's been abused would have," Horatio said softly. "I'll keep them safe, Tony."

"I'll help, and so will JARVIS," Tony said. "All right, now then, equipment for the new lab."


	44. Chapter 44

"Have they ever been to the beach before?" Grant asked softly, watching FitzSimmons playing in the sand with the Avengers.

"I don't know," Horatio replied just as softly. "They've been abused, Grant, that much is obvious, but I don't know all that much about them. Phil wants them here to gain confidence outside of the lab."

Grant nodded. "That'll be difficult."

"Yes it will, but I think that, ultimately, they'll find it," Horatio said. "Phil."

"Hey, to answer Grant's question, no, they've never been to the beach before," Coulson said, sitting down next to the pair. "In fact, until SHIELD found them, I don't know that they were allowed outside much at all. FitzSimmons have had a rough life, but we're trying to help them find their wings."

"I'll do the best I can with them, Phil," Horatio said. "I think having Clint and Tony around for the first couple of weeks will be a help. Clint seems to be especially good with them, and they in turn really seem to like him."

Coulson nodded. "He's the one that rescued them and then stayed with them through their first month with SHIELD," he said. "They see him as a big brother. I talked with Director Fury, we'll be getting more of your people here in the next few days. I was thinking that it might be better to introduce them slowly to FitzSimmons."

"Overwhelming them wouldn't be a good thing at all," Grant commented. "Though if I had to take a guess, Tony there isn't going to let them out of his sight any time soon."

"I was worried about that, at first, but he's doing good with them," Coulson said. "Since they're already familiar with a few things, I think that they could help set up the new lab rather than going through basic crime scene orientations with the larger group."

"I can work with them one-on-two to get them up to speed easily enough," Horatio said. "They're here at your request, Phil. I'll trust you to handle them until we get the base up and working. I'll admit I'm curious to see exactly what Tony and Bruce have come up with for us to use at the lab. Tony was telling me about a few things that they've already finished. It sounds interesting."

"Criminal investigation for the super beings," Coulson said. "So many people would call us crazy, Horatio."

"They'd be right," Grant said with a fond smile. "But you're also doing exactly what needs to be done, so crazy you are. Crazy and capable."

Horatio leaned over and kissed Grant's cheek. "No wonder I love you so much," he said.

"I'll help Horatio keep an eye on them too, Phil," Grant said. "I know I'll my own men and cases, but I can pop in for lunch every so often. Between the two of us and Ryan, I think that FitzSimmons will find they have a home here in Miami."

"We know that you and Horatio are good with troubled teens and young adults," Coulson said. "That's partly why I assigned them down here. Director Fury and I hope that they will be able to move onto a strikeforce we're starting to outline. A team of extraordinary talent to move quick and investigate things that don't fall directly into SHIELD's lap."

"Like Tony, you mean?" Horatio asked.

"And Thor, yes," Coulson replied. "I think that FitzSimmons are the perfect science team for that future team, and Nick agrees with me, but only if they have a little more training first. They need experience outside the lab as well as inside it."

"That, I think we can manage," Horatio said.


	45. Chapter 45

"So what are these targets you and Agent wanted to know about?" Tony asked.

Barton looked over. He was working with FitzSimmons on building a sort of sand castle. "My eye-sight is still weak and I think I need to be working it out more than I am," he said. "The doctors don't agree with me, but I think that if you could build me targets that I can hit with tennis balls rather than arrows, it'll give me something to do other than sit around and worry."

"Are you cleared to be throwing things, Clint?" Steve asked from a little ways down the sand.

"Spoilsport. Not yet, Cap, but I didn't think that Tony would be able to get them done in two nights," Barton replied.

"You need to be taking it easy so you don't strain your eyes, Clint," Natasha said. She poured out a little water for Bruce to mix in with the sand. "You know your body, yes, but you should also listen to the doctors. You don't want to risk damage at this stage."

Simmons looked up. "What happened to your eyes, Clint?" she asked softly.

"I had a building come down on top of me on an op," Barton said. "I don't know how long I was in a coma, but I've got close to a year of physical therapy, maybe some new surgeries too, before they'll even talk about clearing me for field work again."

"A building?" Fitz asked.

"Yep, someone decided to plant bombs in it that I didn't know about and I was on the roof," Barton said. "You and Simmons aren't going to be in that sort of situation, Fitz. I'd kill Fury if he tried to put you guys into something like that. You'll be working in safe conditions. Pop will make sure of that."

"It's just so scary outside the lab," Simmons said. "I know we need to do this to get better, but it's hard."

Tony looked over. "You two know what happened to me, right?" he asked. "The whole kidnap, cave, torture that I lived through a couple of years ago. When I came home, I lived in my lab. Yeah, my lab is always at my house, so I didn't have that far to go to do anything, but it was hard for me to even go upstairs and get food. The lab was what I knew and where I was safe, and that was all I cared about. Forces conspired against me and pulled me out, but any time I'm stressed or scared or worried, I go to the lab. The point of this ramble is that you don't have to give up your safe place just because you want to try and get out into the bigger world."

The pair looked at each other. "It's something to think about," Fitz said.

"We'll have our own lab?" Simmons asked.

"I think so. Horatio is still working on that part of the building plans," Tony replied. "You two are here to have a safety net to the bigger world, and all of us will be right next to you the whole time. How can we not be? A lot of us know exactly the sort of fears you're feeling right now."

"Tony's right," Steve said. "We're a family and we're here to help each other however we can. We're going to be back up in New York before too much longer, no matter how much we're all enjoying Miami, but Tony's putting some neat tricks in at your new facility and we're only a phone call away if you need to talk about anything."

"It's hard to trust again," Tony said, "but you know that Horatio helped to raise Clint, right? How many people does Clint trust?"

"Not that many," Fitz said. "At least that I know of."

"It's not that many," Barton grinned. "You two can trust Pop and Grant with you lives. I wouldn't be leaving you here to work with them if you couldn't."

They looked at each other again. "Okay."

"We'll try."

"Good," Barton said. "Seriously though, you two, call if you need to talk. If nothing else, I want to hear about the cases you're working."

"So was that a yes or a no on the new targets?" Tony asked.

"No, I guess," Barton sighed. "At this rate, Phil's going to have me doing paperwork to pass the time."

"You'll survive," Natasha said.


	46. Chapter 46

"It's weird seeing you in a different office, Horatio," Calleigh said, letting the door swing shut behind her. "Here's the files you asked for. Stetler gave me some weird looks when I asked for them, but didn't argue with me."

"Thank you," Horatio said. "These cases, Calleigh, are all cold cases that we couldn't work out what happened. I want to have my new team go through and see if it's possible that there could be a different cause for them."

"I suppose anything is possible, isn't it?" she asked. "How's your new team doing?"

Horatio leaned back in his chair with a small sigh. "I didn't think it would be this much work to get a new department up and running," he said. "Either that or I forgot what I went through back when we were just starting out here. FitzSimmons is staying close to Tony and Clint, which is fine because we're not up and running and they're more intuitive than they are book learners. They're going to do better in the field thinking than they will running through training in the lab with the others."

"They seem sweet," Calleigh said. "You've started running people through here though. I've seen a few of them looking frustrated about something."

"My CSIs aren't ready to take the qualifiers yet, but they're getting there," Horatio said. "Four teams, three people each. The lab staff is learning more about new tests and procedures we're going to be doing than anything crime scene related right now. That will change as we get closer to moving into our own buildings, but I want them to be able to do these things in their sleep."

"What's the sticking point with the agents picked to be CSIs?" Calleigh asked.

"They thought it was going to be different than it is," Horatio replied. "I think, out of the twelve, there's only one team I feel comfortable sending out into the field right now, without taking the final tests, if Director Fury should need us to roll out sooner than planned."

"Let me guess; the team made up of Larry, Chris, Amy and Frank," Calleigh said. "They strike me as being really good."

"They are. They also have more experience in labs and using their science training in practical environments, which is half the battle," Horatio said. "The other teams are mostly younger folks just out of the military or school. People that SHIELD hired to work in labs and get more training there. I'll have them ready, but it'll take me a little longer than I would like."

"I'm sure that they'll be fine," Calleigh said. "They have some of the best people in the country training them, after all. If our people can't get your people ready for their tests, then you did something wrong back in the day, Horatio."

He chuckled. "I have always, and will always, stand by the people in this lab," Horatio said. "You all came together so much better than I ever could have hoped."

"That's because you trusted us to do it right, so we did," she said. "You'll be fine, Horatio. I know you're nervous about the new department, but you've got good people working with you, and good people supporting you. You'll be just fine."

They both jumped at an explosion somewhere in the lab. "You were saying?" he asked, hurrying after Calleigh.

"Hopefully that was an experiment gone wrong and not a bomb," Calleigh said.

"I think it was," Horatio said. "Eric?"

"Sorry, Horatio, I accidentally left a tube of super glue in the box and it exploded," Eric said. "No one was hurt."

"What were you working on?" Calleigh asked.

"Ryan asked me to see if I could find prints on something he'd brought in from SHIELD," Eric said. "I had one of the new teams in with me and we were trying different things. Guess I got distracted."

"I suppose it's a good lesson, if nothing else," Horatio said. "All right, let's get this cleaned up and everyone who was in the room get checked out. Calleigh, do you want me to field this since it was training with my team?"

"Please. I'm still not real comfortable talking to the brass," she said.

Horatio nodded. "I'll leave you to deal with this end of things then."


	47. Chapter 47

"Lieutenant Caine, could I talk to you for a second?"

Horatio turned and found one of his new CSIs behind him. She was just out of college and shy, but smart and had promise if he could get her to stand up for her opinions a little more. "Of course you can, Andrea, what is it?" he asked.

"It wasn't a tube of superglue that went off today," she said softly. "I don't think anyone realized I saw what happened, but Randy switched out the pan with the superglue in it to something else."

"He did?" Horatio asked.

"I don't want him to know that I told you, but I didn't want Eric to get in trouble," she replied. "He's been really nice and helpful ever since I came in for training."

"All right, I'll talk with them both," Horatio said. "Thank you for coming to tell me, Andrea, I really appreciate it. Did you get checked over by the medics?"

"I'm fine, they said I was just bruised," she said.

"Stay with the group until bedtime just to be sure," Horatio said. "There can be delayed reactions to things and I don't want any of you getting sick, okay?"

Andrea nodded. "I will."

"Okay. Thank you again." Horatio watched her walk off and sighed. "Mr. Wolfe."

"Scene awareness needs to be stressed with all of them," Ryan said, coming out of the lab he'd been working in. "Randy is the one that we've been having the most problems with whenever he's assigned to work with Eric. I think they've had a couple of arguments. Which one do you want me to take?"

"Get Randy into my office and wait with him there," Horatio said. "I want to check with Eric and then we'll find out what's really going on."

Ryan snorted. "Hopefully it's just two alpha males butting heads," he said.

"When is life ever that easy, Ryan?" Horatio asked with a wry grin.  
****

"Eric."

"Horatio, I'm really sorry about this," Eric said, looking up. "I swear this wasn't me trying to get your attention or anything."

"Hey now, we've always managed to keep personal out of the lab, and I don't expect that to have changed," Horatio said. "I know that I could have done better by you, Eric, but I honestly don't know what I could have done differently, and I'm sorry for that. Tell me about Randy."

Eric looked up, startled. "He's smart, quick, chemistry background training to be one of your new CSIs," he said, not quite keeping the bitterness out of his voice. "He seems to think that I don't have anything to teach him and doesn't pay attention whenever he's assigned to me."

"So I hear," Horatio said. "So now, Eric, this is what I need you to do for me. I heard that it wasn't the tube of superglue in the tank, but a pan of unknown material that caused the explosion. It makes more sense to me because you have never once, no matter how distracted you were, done anything that would place a case in jeopardy, and I didn't think you would start now."

"Randy did this?" Eric asked.

"I think so," Horatio replied. "Find me that mystery substance, Eric. Break it down and tell me how it would react to heat, and then find me in my office. There's someone causing problems in this lab and I want to find out why."


	48. Chapter 48

"He was one of our top prospects," Coulson said, looking in at Randy sitting with Ryan. "I think that if he hadn't been pegged for this project, he'd be in R&D working on some of Director Fury's projects."

"I think that what we're dealing with here, Phil, is ego," Horatio said. "I wanted you here because of your reputation within SHIELD. I'm sure that word of my reputation will get around, but not fast enough for this. Clint, what did the doctors have to say?"

Barton looked over. "Up to eighty percent back, Pop," he grinned. "Phil's going to have me on paperwork in no time at this rate."

"They think he'll be at a hundred in another week or so," Coulson said. "Then we'll head back up to New York and start looking into surgeries and therapy to get him back into the field."

"That sounds like a plan," Horatio said. "Although Grant and I will miss having you here. Come on in, both of you. Let's see what's going on here." Horatio pushed the door to his office open and then held it for Barton to come through. "Randy, it seems that we have a problem," he said.

The young man looked over. "I'm not sure what you mean, Lieutenant Caine."

"Your team was assigned to work with Eric Delko today, learning about fingerprint evidence and different methods of collection and storage," Horatio said. "The super glue tank exploded in the middle of a test that Ryan here had you guys running, and I heard from a reliable source that you had something to do with that explosion. Care to explain things to me?"

"Eric left the tube of glue in there and it blew up," Randy shrugged. "I don't know what you think I had to do with anything."

"Lieutenant Caine, Sir, I have reviewed the video footage from the lab in question and found that Randy did, in fact, place something in the tank prior to the explosion," JARVIS said via the tablet Horatio had on his desk. "I was unable to analyze the substance in question, but Eric is working on doing so now in the trace lab."

"Thank you," Horatio said with a small smile. "Randy?"

"Okay, fine, yeah, I put something in there," Randy said. "I didn't ask to be here. When SHIELD recruited me, they said I'd be working with cutting edge technology to develop new weapons not going to the edge of nowhere to be a crime scene investigator."

Horatio leaned against his desk. "What sort of weapons did you want to design?" he asked softly.

"I don't know, bombs and things," Randy replied. "Things that will keep people safe."

"Clint?" Horatio said.

"I think Tony would be better for this one, Pop," Barton said. "Randy, are you really stupid enough that you think weapons keep people safe? Do you see me here, in this wheelchair? I was on an op for SHIELD in a sniper perch when bombs planted at the base of the building I was on detonated and brought the building down on top of me. I almost died from those injuries. What do you think, people just plant bombs and the loud boom scares the enemy enough that they give up? Bombs detonate and they kill people. Worse than that, they maim people. I think, Agent Coulson, that Randy here needs to tour a few field hospitals in war zones and see if that doesn't straighten him out a little."

Coulson tilted his head slightly. "I think that's a good idea, Barton," he said softly. "Lieutenant Caine, with your permission, I'll be borrowing Randy for some additional training before he is posted to a SHIELD lab designing door locks."

"That's fine, Agent Coulson," Horatio said. "This level of anger is not something I need on my team."  
****

"I'm going to start rumors about you when I'm back on base, Pop," Barton said later that night when they were back at the house. "People need to know that you deserve respect. I know you'll be able to earn it, but that'll take too long."

Horatio couldn't help the fond smile. "I'm sure that people will figure me out soon enough, Clint," he said. "I don't know that you need to terrorize them with stories about me."

"I do," Tony said, joining them. "I heard about the jackass today and made a few suggestions to Agent about places to take him. Use bombs to keep people safe. I can't believe I used to think like that."

"It was how you were raised, Tony," Barton said. "I hate that you suffered so much when your opinion was changed."

"I survived. I'm surviving," Tony said. "I'm actually going back to New York tonight to pick up a few piece of new equipment for you, Horatio. The lab at the base is far enough along that I can start bringing things down to you. I think you'll like the new toys I have for you."

"JARVIS has been a huge help, Tony," Horatio said. "I can see why you're so fond of him."

Tony looked over. "Want him at the base too?" he asked. "JARVIS can totally do it for you. It might be good for him, interact with some new people. You just can't let them near his servers."

"Whatever you want to do is fine, Tony," Horatio said. "Clint, how are you holding up? Don't think I didn't see you yawning while we were at the lab."

"Busted. I'm tired, but it's from not being able to move," Barton said. "I'm doing fine, Pop. I just really want to get back to my normal routine. You know I've never been good at being sick."

"I do, and I know how hard it is for you to sit for long periods of time," Horatio said. "It sounds like you're almost there, Clint. Just be sure to give everything the time it needs to heal before you move onto the next step."


	49. Chapter 49

"So, it sounds to me like you need a massage tonight," Grant said as he slipped into the shower behind Horatio. "Although, I suppose if your new CSI teams get too out of line, you can send them over to me for some PT or something."

Horatio chuckled. "Somehow I think the teams will pull together a little better now that Randy is gone," he said. "It's always trial and error to get any department set up and running, but there are some scientists that believe they are destined to better things than crime scene investigation, or even a lab."

"Too much Tony on their TVs growing up," Grant sighed. He reached around and started to rub Horatio's chest. "If only they knew what he suffered to get to where he is now."

"I suppose that we'll be investigating the fall-out from some of those scientists with delusions of grandeur," Horatio said. He leaned back against his partner with a sigh. "There's just so much that can go wrong while we're setting things up. I think we're lucky to be finding out about Randy's problem now rather than risking the integrity of our lab once we're operational."

"I couldn't have said it better," Coulson commented from out in the hall. "Sorry, sound really carries in your house, Horatio, and I was coming to ask if you have any saline eye drops. Clint's eyes are bothering him and I didn't want to run to the store if I didn't have to."

Grant put his head on Horatio's shoulder and tried not to laugh. Horatio just chuckled. "In the second drawer to the right of the sink, Phil," he said. "I have to say that Grant and I haven't been interrupted since Clint was a lot younger."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt anything," Coulson said. 

"It's fine, don't worry about it." Horatio turned off the water and reached out to grab towels for both him and Grant. "You know that I want Clint to be as comfortable as possible. What did medical have to say about this?"

"Just that it's not unexpected and to bring him in if the eye drops don't help in a day or two," Coulson said. "I'll leave you two alone now. Thanks again, Horatio."

Horatio glanced at Grant. "He was pretty red there, wasn't he?"

"Yep, he was," Grant replied, lips twitching. "I don't think he realized we were both in the shower until it was too late."

"I don't think I realized how much I missed having my family with me until you were all home again," Horatio said. He pulled Grant over for a kiss. "Now if Eric would come around, life would be perfect."

"You said you were able to talk with him today without trouble?"

"Yeah, because it was case related," Horatio said. He draped the towel over the bar on the door and headed for the bedroom. "I think that if I needed to talk to him about anything else, he'd still be on the defensive."

Grant slid in next to Horatio. "I wish there was an easy answer for you, love, but I can't think of anything," he said. "I think the only thing we can do is have hope that Eric will realize that he misses you as a friend and comes to talk to you again."

"I hope it's that easy," Horatio said with a sigh.


	50. Chapter 50

Horatio stood in his new office and looked around. "Well, hello there Grumpy, are you trying to hide again?" he asked when one of the dwarves flew in. "Come on, let's go find your mom and dad." He caught the bot gently and headed towards the yard that was formed between the three arms of the lab buildings. "Jemma, did you guys lose this one?"

"Oh, thank you, Lieutenant," she said with a smile. "We're getting a look at the new building and he got away from the group. I'm sorry he bothered you."

"Not a bother at all," Horatio said, sitting down next to Simmons. "What all are you seeing?"

"The building is in good shape, they did a good job patching things up and getting it ready for us," Fitz said. "I thought we might make a map of the lab with the dwarves, if that was okay with you, Lieutenant."

"That's fine. I'd like to have as many different mappings of this facility as possible," Horatio said. "When Clint's better, he's offered to go in and map out the vent network for me, although I think that I might have that done before he's healed up."

Steve ducked one of the dwarves as it flew by his head and handed a couple of files to Horatio. "Tony asked me to give these to you, Horatio. Spec sheets for some of the equipment he's built for you."

"Thank you, Steve," Horatio said. "Things are coming together nicely for us."

"Some of the troops are also arriving," Steve continued. "Uhm, guys, which one is this?"

"That's Sleepy and I think he likes you," Fitz said. "Sorry, Captain, I'll get him back on course here in a second. I think it's the humidity playing with them. We need to re-calibrate them, Jem."

"Let's do that and see what else we can find," Simmons said. "Call back?"

"Call back."

Steve just smiled fondly. "I'm sure you'll be able to get it worked out, guys. Horatio, Grant wanted you to come over when you had a minute," he said. "And I'm due to help Tony with some heavy lifting. See you all at supper tonight?"

"We'll be there," Horatio said. "Leo, Jemma, you two do what you need to and get me the maps in your own time. Thank you for that, it's a good idea."

"We'll have them reset in a day or two," Simmons said.

"It's a quick fix," Fitz said.

"No hurry, take your time," Horatio said. He started across the lawn towards the building that Grant was using as an office. The base was starting to come to life around him, and he had to admit that he really liked the feel of it all. Missing the crime lab or not, it was a good career move for him. "Hey there."

Grant looked up from filing. "Hey. So, medical looked at Clint again and they're taking him up to New York for some testing on his lower joints," he said. "Eyes are recovered enough, even with the dryness he's been having, to start on physical therapy if they don't need to surgically stabilize any of the bones."

"That's wonderful news," Horatio said. "Let me guess, Nick grabbed them before Clint could let me know."

"Got it in one, but they'll be back for breakfast tomorrow," Grant said. "He just didn't want either of us worrying and I was closer to medical."

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Horatio. One of my new officers thought it would be a good idea to stand on a rolling chair to try and hang safety posters on the walls," Grant said.

Horatio sighed and started laughing. "I wish I could think you were making that up."

"He'll be fine, just bruised up, but we had to make sure," Grant said. "At any rate, we'll get things finished up here and our boy will be back in the morning."

"I guess it's getting close to time for them to go home," Horatio said. "I'll be honest, Grant, I'm going to miss them."

"I will too. But I think we'll see a lot of them now," Grant said. "After all, they're family now."

"That they are," Horatio agreed with a smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I'm going to end this one here and pick up the other story line with a piece called CSI: SHIELD. Please look for it this coming weekend. We'll see how many strange cases I can come up with for this group. 
> 
>  
> 
> Thank you everyone for reading. =^.^=


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